Mengal slams roadblocks before long march
As the Wadh to Quetta long march was set to begin, he shared a message on social media, emphasizing that no amount of obstruction could stop them.
Mengal criticized the authorities for placing containers on key routes from Khuzdar to Quetta, blocking major entry points despite their announcement that the long march will be peaceful.
He asserted that the Baloch people would respond today to the harassment of their women and children, reaffirming their determination to stand against oppression.
Meanwhile, the provincial administration has imposed Section 144, banning all political and social gatherings across Balochistan due to security concerns. Additionally, the Home and Tribal Affairs Department has prohibited the use of black-tinted vehicle windows and the public display of weapons to maintain law and order.
Amid these heightened restrictions, internet services have been suspended across Balochistan, with mobile signals have been disrupted in Quetta, Khuzdar, Nushki, and other districts, further limiting communication.
However, despite these measures, the marchers remain resolute in their mission.
On March 26, BNP-Mchief Akhtar Mengal announced to lead a long march on March 28 from Wadh to Quetta against the detention of BYC leaders.
Taking to his X handle, the BNP-M chief mentioned that he would lead long march, "which is against the arrest of our daughters and disrespect of our mothers and sisters."
He invited the Baloch community, including men, women, elders and youth to participate in the long march.
"It is not only the matter of our daughters' arrest but it is a question of our national dignity, our honour and out existence," tweeted Mengal, adding, 'We will not sit silent until our daughters, sisters and mothers are safe."
"Our movement is peaceful. We have come out against cruelty and persecution. We will not stop unless we get justice," maintained the BNP-M chief. "Our march from Quetta to Wadh is not a journey of steps but a travel of conscience. The time has come that we get united and raise a single voice," he added.
Earlier, several BYC protesters, including its chief organiser Mahrang Baloch, were taken into custody on Friday after protesters from Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) clashed with riots police, pelting armoured vehicles with stones and law enforcers responding by using tear gas, water cannons and blank shots on Sariab Road near the Balochistan University.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Chehlum: Section 144 imposed in 13 districts
In view of security concerns surrounding Chehlum, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has imposed Section 144 in 13 districts of the province. According to a notification issued by the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, the restrictions will apply for one week in Peshawar, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Nowshera, Kurram, Mardan, and Lakki Marwat. The ban covers wall chalking, pillion riding, inflammatory speeches and slogans, gatherings of five or more people, display of weapons, use of loudspeakers, dissemination of objectionable material, tinted vehicle windows, aerial firing, sale or purchase of petroleum products in bottles, fireworks, presence on rooftops along chehlum procession routes, stay of unidentified persons in guesthouses, movement of Afghan nationals in public places, entry of outsiders into the districts, and any attempt to disrupt chehlum processions. Authorities have urged the public to strictly follow these directives to maintain law and order. The restrictions will remain in force from August 9 to August 15.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Centre vows no let-up in K-P terror fight
Listen to article Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Thursday ruled out the possibility of launching any fresh military operation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) amid rumours of a fresh full-scale offensive triggered by the worsening law and order situation in the volatile tribal districts of the province. Chaudhry, however, said that the ongoing counterterrorism actions under the National Action Plan (NAP) would continue unabated. "Let me be clear — NAP operations will not be stopped by anyone, no matter who they are," he said while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly in response to concerns raised by MNAs Asad Qaiser and Shazia Marri. Chaudhry's statement came on a day the PTI government in K-P strongly opposed the launch of a new military operation in the province, warning that kinetic actions would only worsen the already fragile security situation in the province. The provincial government called for a non-kinetic strategy to eliminate terrorism and restore peace. Taking a swipe at the PTI, the minister questioned, "Who brought the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] back? Which chief minister said, 'We won't fight or we'll end up like the PPP or the ANP?'" Commenting on PTI's protest on Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir, Chaudhry defended the closure of Parliament House's entry gates, citing security concerns due to Section 144 being in force and the presence of a sizeable rally near D-Chowk. He clarified that the gates were closed to restrict the incoming crowd and not the lawmakers. "No MNA was barred from exiting the premises," he added. The minister played down the scale of PTI demonstrations on August 5. "In Islamabad, fewer than 100 people turned up and even those were briefly detained. No lawmakers were arrested," he claimed. "In Punjab, out of a population of 130 million, only 94 people were taken into custody. Most protests were symbolic and dispersed within minutes." He also rejected the PTI's defence of the May 9 riots, saying popularity does not grant immunity from the law. "Those who attacked state properties were not acting in public interest - they did so in pursuit of future election tickets," he alleged. "Now they are facing the consequences. Courts in Punjab and Peshawar are announcing decisions. What more fairness do they want?" On the issue of the suspension of overland travel for Shia pilgrims via Iran, Chaudhry said that the measure had been taken due to heightened regional tensions in the aftermath of the Israel-Iran conflict. He said the Ministry of Interior was engaged in talks with the protesters and the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) leadership. "A delegation of pilgrims met ministry officials last Thursday, and further discussions were held recently with MWM leader Raja Nasir Abbas," the minister said, adding that he was willing to visit Karachi to continue negotiations. He added that the Sindh and Balochistan governments were fully on board, while the Sindh governor remained in close contact with the protesters. The minister further told the lawmakers in the House that the prime minister had instructed the defence minister to ensure facilitation of pilgrims via air travel. "We've increased the number of flights and engaged foreign airlines, including Iranian and Iraqi carriers, to enhance capacity. Talks are also under way to reduce fares," he added.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
India in wrong boat — again
Listen to article In 1991, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, initiating economic liberalisation in India, geared the country away from decades-long socialist ideals to the capitalist embrace. Interestingly, this was exactly the time when the USSR had been disintegrated in the wake of its failed war in Afghanistan. Now, around 35 years later, India stands on another verge — will it keep snuggled in the US/capitalist embrace or is it time for another goodbye? When in the socialist camp, India made good benefit of the Soviet-Afghan war. It got a presence in Afghanistan under the Soviet umbrella, wherefrom it provided training, funding and in-out passage to Baloch separatist groups, with the aim of destabilising Pakistan and weakening its position in the region. The second time, when the US invaded Afghanistan, India was there again, with dozens of consulates at the Pak-Afghan border regions, again backing terror outfits that kept wreaking havoc in the country for over a decade. In both cases, India thought it was on the winning side, but twice it was proven wrong. The constant guerilla warfare of the ragtag mujahideen and Pakistan's support for them forced the global powers to shamefully retreat, and every time India, losing the plot, had to flee too. India wished to partake in the spoils of war, entrench itself in the Afghan future, get an inroad to Central Asia, and via this long cut, get a shortcut to regional hegemony. But unfortunately for India, it was in the wrong boat, each time. Both times it should have learnt the lesson that sheer hegemony and imperial lust cannot secure one a victory over a human population, but it did not. Anyways, even after India left the socialist camp, Russia always wanted to woo it back into its sphere. In the late 1990s, Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov presented a doctrine referred to as the Russia-India-China (RIC) doctrine, advocating closer cooperation between the three countries to foster a multipolar world order. But India was too haute to lend an ear to such regional integration. What India had in mind was not integration but to become the next China, the next regional power, getting ahead of all other regional entities. So, India went on closer to the US, signing strategic pacts for bases-sharing, communication and info sharing, weapons deals and more. India even joined QUAD in 2007 — a partnership specifically made to counter China. In all this wooing with the US, India got more of a narrative, and less of anything substantial. The US did not shift its industries from China to India; reportedly, manufactured goods currently account for a mere 2% of India's exports. Regarding its defence architecture, reputed Indian analyst Pravin Sawhney has stated in recent days that India has focused on building it army for conventional war, which may not occur in future conflict scenarios. On the other hand, India lacks true innovation and R&D and has no real cyber or space preparedness. The Indian side lacks 'jointness' and 'interoperability', he says. And this jointness and interoperability is something that involves network centricity, information superiority and an integrated command system, in a Sixth Generation Warfare environment. Future 6G wars will have contactless battles, aiming to destroy enemy forces on the enemy territory with precision and firepower. China, due to its R&D, has such superiorities; and Pakistan has it because of its strategic alliance with China, the right boat! In the May 2025 Indo-Pak war, Pakistan had the edge because it was using Chinese origin fighter jets and missiles, integrated with the Chinese XS-3 tactical, high-speed broadband data link, for real-time navigation and precision targeting. Deniability was also practiced by the Pakistani side by jamming India's electromagnetic environment. Pakistan had ensured jointness and interoperability, by conducting the Shaheen series of joint air exercises with the Chinese Air Force in Xinjiang and Gansu. Such effort between India and its defence partners US and Israel seem to be absent. Failure of Operation Sindoor was not only India losing a battle with Pakistan, a battle it initiated itself; rather it proved to be a double jeopardy, as it severely damaged Indo-US relations. The Indo-US partnership that had been the cornerstone of India's foreign policy got a firm blow at the hands of an additive battle, between two haute egos, Trump's and Modi's. Trump repeatedly claimed mediating the Indo-Pak ceasefire, and Modi was too proud to lose his political narrative of having the upper hand. In the frustration, Trump first slammed 25% tariff on India, and more penalties for buying Russian oil, and now he has threatened a gigantic 50% tariffs — a level where business will be impossible at all. Trump now thinks that India is enabling Russia to fight in Ukraine because it buys its oil; he thinks India's BRICS membership is anti-US; he feels India is backing off from promises to purchase billion dollars worth of weapons, including F-35s; he feels like India is not on the path to keeping its promise to increase bilateral trade from $200 billion to $500 billion by 2030. Truth is that India has been the biggest beneficiary of the Ukraine war, getting 3.4 million barrels a day of cheap Russian oil. Previously this requirement of the world's most populous country was fulfilled from Iran — another partner India pushed away to please the US. Saying no to Russia means finding another seller with such a huge capacity — one that would be hard to find at once! It seems like India has utterly failed in its core foreign policy pillar of strong US-India strategic ties. India's heartburn with China and Pakistan has also kept it alienated in the region and in the Global South. India could have been a bridge between the Global North and South, but it seems like the bridge is broke and taken down India with it. And now after Trump's threats, India is again trying to make a balancing act between the North and the South — but this time both poles want India to make one clear choice. Perhaps it was possible to be in one wrong boat at a time, but trying to keep one foot each in both two boats for a giant elephant like India may prove to be a smashing nosedive.
