Sardar Akhtar Mengal, MNA and head of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), has announced his resignation from the National Assembly, citing deep frustrations over the handling of issues related to Balochistan.
In the absence of the National Assembly speaker from his chamber, Akhtar Mengal submitted his resignation to the assembly secretary.
Mengal, speaking to the media alongside Mehmood Khan Achakzai outside Parliament House, expressed his disillusionment with the indifference shown by the government and fellow parliamentarians toward the ongoing crises in Balochistan. "I had decided to raise the problems of Balochistan in the assembly today," Mengal said. However, he lamented that "people are not interested in the issue of Balochistan".
In a stern remark, Mengal stated, "A parliamentarian himself said that Balochistan is slipping out of our hands," but he went further, declaring, "Balochistan is not getting out of your hands, but it has already gotten out."
Mengal criticized the government's failure to address the bloodshed in Balochistan and called for unity among political leaders to tackle the province's problems. "Everyone should come together on this issue and a meeting should have been called to discuss it," he asserted.
Mengal also expressed frustration that discussions about Balochistan are often "blacked out" when raised in the assembly, adding, "Whenever you start talking about this issue, it is blacked out."
He challenged his critics, saying, "If you disagree with my words, then listen to my words with patience. If I'm still wrong, I accept any punishment. Eliminate me in an encounter outside parliament or kill me, but at least listen to me."
The BNP chief further remarked that blood was spilled in Balochistan and the politicians who took an NRO were responsible. Reflecting on his political journey, Mengal spoke about a meeting held at the Prime Minister's House in 2023, where concerns were raised about the youth of Balochistan.
He recalled, "In the meeting, I said if our youth switch to other parties or go towards militancy, don't complain."
In his emotional address, Mengal said he did not even take his party into confidence about quitting from the National Assembly,. He also said he had no faith in any institution of the state, and ended with a poignant metaphor, "I sell mirrors, in the city of the blind."
