BLA Linked to “Fitna-e-Hindustan,” Akhtar Mengal Called Beneficiary of Violence: Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman Mengal

**Quetta:** Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman Mengal, head of the Jhalawan Awami Panel and tribal leader, has labeled the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a faction of “Fitna-e-Hindustan” responsible for the murder of his brother. Speaking in an interview with journalist Hasan Ayub Khan, he claimed that each militant group in the region is backed by RAW-funded tribal leaders, whom he compared to loyalists of British colonial rulers.

Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman criticized Akhtar Mengal, alleging that during the PTI government he received billions in state funds which, he claims, were used to support militants while the state was blackmailed in return. “Akhtar Mengal is a beneficiary of unrest and the head of an Indian death squad,” he said, accusing him of exploiting missing persons cases to recruit militants and then play the victim card.

He also remarked that Islamabad’s current government is moving in the right direction, but warned that decision-makers there remain unaware of ground realities in Balochistan. Highlighting past governance, he praised General Pervez Musharraf’s 1999 accountability measures for improving attendance in schools and hospitals, and lauded former Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti for reforms in education, including scholarships for the children of martyrs.

Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman condemned past sub-nationalist policies dating back to 1973, which he claimed fostered ethnic bias and set Balochistan back by decades. He concluded by stressing that the province’s core issue remains the leniency shown toward leaders who defame Pakistan, burn its flag, and target state supporters, allowing such individuals to operate with impunity.