Balochistan Government Warns Sardar Akhtar Mengal of Arrest Under MPO If March Reaches Quetta

AliPakistani News, World News

On Sunday, the Balochistan government warned Sardar Akhtar Mengal, leader of his faction of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), that he would be arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) if his party’s march against the jailing of Baloch activists entered Quetta.

The BNP-M had initiated a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta on March 28 to protest the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as a crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday, but the BNP-M’s sit-in at Lakpass in Mastung entered its 10th day. The party aimed to head towards Quetta as a deadlock persisted over its demands — including Mahrang’s release — while the Balochistan government warned to limit the march to Quetta’s Sariab Road. However, that offer seemed to be no longer on the table as Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind asserted that Mengal would be arrested if he “moves towards Quetta.”

In response to a post on X by Mengal, who claimed his party was “completely encircled by security forces” at Lakpass, Rind said the BNP-M president had been alerted at 6am about the orders to arrest him under the MPO. The MPO orders are typically issued to maintain public order in the event of a “threat to public safety” or a possible “breach of peace and tranquility.”

Rind wrote: “Mengal refused to comply with his arrest. The administration and the police have clearly told him that if he moves towards Quetta, he will be arrested. This is why law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are present there.”

In the wake of Rind’s statement, the BNP-M quoted Mengal as saying: “The state has decided to crush us, but we won’t bow down. This sit-in will continue under all circumstances, and now, we will make the entire Balochistan the center of resistance.”