AKHTAR Mengal, one of the most prominent voices from Balochistan in parliament, has nothing left to say. On Tuesday, he resigned his seat in the National Assembly saying, “Our province has consistently been marginalised and ignored by this house. Each day, we are pushed further against the wall, leaving us with no choice but to reconsider our roles.” Mr Mengal regretted that voices like his have been unable to bring any meaningful change because the people of Balochistan no longer have true representatives in parliament. His resignation letter said, “It has become increasingly clear that our attempts to speak or protest are met with hostility; our people are either silenced, labelled as traitors, or worse, killed. Under such circumstances, I find it impossible to continue in this capacity, as my presence here no longer serves any purpose for the people I represent.”

Lawmakers from across the aisle will beseech Mr Mengal to reconsider his decision — and he must, or else he will leave the field open for proxies to further marginalise genuine Baloch voices. At the same time, it must be asked: why did a prominent Baloch leader, who has engaged consistently and legitimately with the state, turn away? “This is pathetic; our daughters and elderly women are protesting and spending nights out in the open only to highlight their concerns, but no one in the entire assembly is even bothered to ask a question or raise a point of order in the house,” he had complained on his way out of the assembly that same day. The anger must be understood. Balochistan has been boiling for many months. Breaking cultural taboos, its women recently took over the campaign for its people’s rights. Instead of the state recognising this change, it antagonised the Baloch people further by treating its new leaders with customary disdain. Now, with the recent surge in militant attacks in the province and the state’s fulminations around them, things seem to be spiralling. The Baloch people seem to be fearing indiscriminate targeting during reprisals. This could explain why Baloch leaders want to distance themselves from the state. This perception needs to be addressed post-haste. Leaders like Mr Mengal, who do not sit idle or are the type to join hands with separatists, belong in parliament. They must raise their voice for the Baloch people in the legislatures.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024