Quetta – BNP‑M chief Akhtar Mengal called for a clear and independent investigation into the killing of police officers in Ziarat, accusing the government of failing to offer lasting solutions to a population besieged by violence.
Speaking at the sit‑in staged by the families of the fallen officers, Mengal questioned why a functional justice system had not conducted an independent, transparent inquiry into the attack and similar incidents, characterizing the provincial government’s mistrust of its own institutions as a national tragedy.
He noted that Balochistan has tried various reforms—such as disbanding the Levies force and merging it with the police—yet failing to produce results. “Governments keep misleading the public by forming committees and dispatching representatives, rather than delivering long‑term solutions,” he warned, urging protesters to steadfastly uphold their demands.
“If Balochistan were truly normal, citizens would not feel forced to stage sit‑ins,” Mengal said. “A state where truth‑speaking and rights‑claims are criminalized cannot endure.”
He highlighted that in many countries, governments face accountability for even a single death, whereas in Pakistan, repeated tragedies have gone unpunished.
He added that had those in power truly empathized with the populace, they would have stepped down and stood with the victims.
BNP chief says authorities misleading public instead of providing lasting solutions
Mengal said he had raised the Hanna and Ziarat killings, among other incidents, with federal authorities, pledging that whatever form of protest the affected families choose, the BNP will support them.
He also emphasized that oppression and injustice against Balochistan’s citizens have endured since the state’s inception, noting that rulers prioritize the province’s resources while remaining indifferent to its people’s hardships.
According to him, the rights and lives of Baloch and Pashtun communities have been neglected as their resources are exploited.
He also alleged that in past years armed groups and illicit tactics have been deployed across Balochistan to suppress the local populace.
Sit‑in enters third day
The sit‑in marked its third consecutive day as a government delegation—comprising Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, Health Minister Bakht Kakar, and Deputy Commissioner Quetta Mehrullah Badini—met with protestors at Koila Phatak Chowk. The demonstrators, who aquela seven bodies and whose families had claimed 12 other police officers for burial over the last three days, held their own demands as the city’s traffic snarled across Shahbaz Town, Samungli Road, and Airport Road. A separate group has been staging protests outside Deputy Commissioner Ziarat’s office for six days, further amplifying local grievances.Rights group
Sakina Abdullah Khan, chairperson of the Balochistan women’s wing of the Human Rights International Movement, expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incidents that unfolded across multiple districts. She condemned the violence reported in Ziarat, Harnai, Manguchar, Chaman, and others, labeling them as deplorable. She urged the federal and provincial governments to take impartial and decisive action against those responsible, emphasizing that recurring terrorism and violence pose a grave threat to life, property, and peace throughout the province.
