Pakistan’s veteran politician and Balochistan National Party-Mengal chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal Tuesday resigned from Parliament, complaining that the restive province has consistently been marginalised and ignored by the House. The 61-year-old leader was elected as a member of the National Assembly in the February 8 general elections from his native Khuzdar area.
His resignation - which awaits acceptance - comes amid heightened security tensions in Balochistan after recent attacks and increased protests over the past months against enforced disappearances.
Citing frustration over the lack of interest in Balochistan’s issues, Mengal announced his resignation during a press briefing outside the Parliament House.
“Today, I had decided to speak in the National Assembly about Balochistan’s problems but there is no interest in the restive province’s matters,” Mengal said.
He expressed deep concern over the situation in his home province, saying, “Parliamentarians themselves said that Balochistan is slipping from our hands.”
“I say Balochistan has not just slipped but it’s already gone. Many lives have been lost in Balochistan. Everyone should have come together on this issue,” he said.
Mengal also criticised the lack of an open dialogue on the troubled province. “Whenever this issue is brought up, it’s blacked out. If you disagree with what I say, listen patiently. If you still find my words wrong, I accept any punishment,” he urged.
“Even if you want to encounter or kill me outside Parliament, go ahead, but at least listen. We have no one, and no one listens to us,” he said.
More than 50 people, including over 10 security personnel, were killed on August 26 in one of the worst days of violence in Balochistan.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. The province faces a double threat by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch militants.
Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is opposed to China’s investments in Balochistan and accuses China and Pakistan of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities.
