‘Crossed first obstacle’ as BNP-M proceeds with long march against crackdown on Baloch activists – Pakistan

Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), on Friday said that they had “crossed the first obstacle” kept in their way by law enforcement personnel to stop his party’s “peaceful” long march against the alleged harassment faced by Baloch women and children in recent days.

The BNP-M had announced a long march from Wadh to Quetta today to protest against the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen, as well as the police crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta.

In a post on X today, the BNP-M leader said that the peaceful long march had successfully crossed the first obstacle despite blockades by the government along the way.

“Law enforcement personnel in plainclothes attempted to provoke our people, but our commitment to a peaceful march remains unwavering,” Mengal said, adding that all petrol stations from Khuzdhar to Quetta were sealed in an attempt to deny “access to basic necessities”.

He said that the long march would continue “even if we have to walk every step of the way”.

“These cowardly moves only strengthen our resolve. The voice of the Baloch nation will be heard,” he added.

In an earlier post, he wrote that the obstacles not only endangered the lives of peaceful protestors but also reflected the sheer desperation and cowardice of those trying to silence our movement.

“The Baloch nation will stand united and show the world what it means when our women and children are harassed. We will not be silenced,” he said.

According to an official statement issued by the party, the participants of the long march were expected to reach Quetta by tonight.

In an official statement by the provincial government, spokesperson Shahid Rind said that internet services were suspended due to “security threats”.

No explanatory statement was issued by the government or the telecommunication companies for the suspension.