GWADAR: President of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Sardar Akhtar Mengal, has said that he is willing to withdraw from all seats in the upcoming general elections if all Baloch missing persons are released.

He emphasised that he is not ready to compromise the interests of Balo­chistan merely for the sake of parliamentary seats.

During a public gathering in Turbat and Gwadar as part of his party’s election campaign on Monday, Mr Mengal declared that the BNP-M’s primary contest is with the establishment, which has made efforts to exclude his party from the elections.

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He claimed that in the previous parliament, his party actively addressed the issue of missing persons and successfully removed the fence that had been erected in the port city to restrict residents from their own city.

“We have no personal dispute with the establishment. We are just against the policies of the establishment, which had been imposed on the people just to serve their petty interests,” he said, adding that efforts were made to change the loyalties of BNP-M’s candidates; however, they chose to support him.

Mr Mengal remarked that in each Balochistan election, the establishment engages in different strategies, alternating between supporting parties such as Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, PML-N and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

In the current situation, there is an attempt to revive the political influence of Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, but Mr Mengal expressed confidence that this attempt would be unsuccessful. He pointed to the visible outcomes of a similar effort to sustain Bhutto’s influence in Lyari for four decades as evidence.

Additionally, Mr Mengal highlighted that despite the presence of numerous parties, Sardars, and Nawabs in the parliament, none have effectively advocated for the issues faced by the people of the province, particularly the plight of missing persons.

He underscored that it was the BNP-M whose MNAs, MPAs, and senators voluntarily relinquished their assembly seats in protest against the martyrdom of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

“Two Sardars left this world after playing their role for the rights of Balochistan. Nawab Bugti sacrificed his life for the honour, integrity and mother land,” Mr Mengal said, adding that BNP-M is not against the development in the province.

“However, we do not want such development in which we receive bodies of our loved ones,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024