Every Ruler Admitted Wrongdoing Against Balochistan and Apologised, But Did Nothing for Redress: Akhtar Mengal
QUETTA: Former Balochistan chief minister and BNP-Mengal leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal has criticised the government over its handling of the province’s longstanding grievances, saying successive rulers have acknowledged injustices against Balochistan and even apologised, but have failed to take meaningful steps to address them.
In a statement posted on his social media platform X, Mengal responded to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks that Balochistan had suffered injustices in previous periods and that dialogue, rather than the use of force, was the solution to the province’s problems.
Mengal said that while he agreed that “the gun is not the solution,” the government needed to answer whether its artillery, tanks, fighter jets and gunship helicopters could actually resolve political problems.
He questioned what practical measures successive governments had taken to compensate Balochistan for the injustices they themselves had acknowledged.
Mengal alleged that instead of addressing the grievances, the province had witnessed violence, destruction, families losing loved ones, villages being destroyed, and women and children being detained, while he also accused authorities of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and coastline.
He said successive governments had repeatedly acknowledged the problems facing Balochistan and sought forgiveness, but the situation had not been adequately addressed.
Responding to the prime minister’s emphasis on dialogue, Mengal said the government would eventually have to answer difficult questions about its policies.
He added that even if the prime minister could not provide those answers while in government, history would eventually hold him accountable if he later found himself in the opposition.
