Mengal accuses government agencies of killing Baloch nationalists

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, president of the Balochistan National Party and a former chief minister of the province, on Saturday accused the government and its functionaries of carrying out target killings of Baloch leaders and activists.

Addressing a public rally at Manan Chowk of Quetta on Saturday over the telephone from Dubai, he said Habib Jalib had been killed by those who believed that he was a hurdle in the way of their vested interests and evil desires.

BNP party workers took out a rally from Liaquat Park and marched up to Manan Chowk to listen to Mengal’s speech.

The party workers carried banners and placards with pictures of Habib Jalib and Liaquat Mengal, who were assassinated a few weeks ago. The rally was held against the killing of Baloch leaders and the non-recovery of missing persons.

Scared: Addressing the rally’s participants, Mengal said bloodshed was not new for the Baloch people, but one thing was clear that the Baloch people were not scared of anything and would not be deterred by the use of force.

“The state and its agents have deliberately created panic in Balochistan, but the BNP is not scared of anything, as the party has already scarified the lives of many of its leaders and workers,” he said. Mengal said that despite several attacks on BNP workers, people had participated in the rally, which proved that the party was enjoying complete support of the masses in all corners of the province.

He reiterated that the struggle for self-determination would continue, saying the party would not hold back the struggle at any cost. “Those who are involved in the killing of Baloch leaders and aim at weakening the national movement are living in a fool’s paradise or are ignorant of Baloch history,” the BNP chief said.

“All party workers should keep eyes on the government and its agents because they can carry out attacks anytime,” he claimed. Mengal stressed the need for a unified political front of all Baloch nationalists, saying without unity and harmony in the ranks of the Baloch people, their struggle could not succeed.

He said the BNP would not take any dictation while framing its policies. Mengal was referring to some Baloch groups who recently criticised the policies of the BNP.

He maintained that the BNP was the biggest and most popular political party in the province, which had proved its strength even after the assassination of Habib Jalib. He paid rich tribute to Jalib and acknowledged his long and unwavering struggle for the Baloch people.

The BNP chief said a major vacuum had been created after Jalib’s assassination, which “cannot be filled in the near future”. Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Ghulam Rasool Mengal, Jamila Baloch, Khurshid Jamaldini and BSO-M President Mohyuddin Baloch also addressed the gathering.