Opposition Launches Movement Over Ziarat Incident, Demands Resignation of Balochistan Government

ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan (Movement for the Protection of the Constitution) and opposition parties have announced the launch of a political movement over the Ziarat incident and the broader situation in Balochistan, demanding the immediate resignation of the provincial government.

The announcement was made during a joint press conference in Islamabad attended by Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Raja Nasir Abbas, Latif Khosa, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and other opposition leaders.

Addressing the media, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, said the opposition was formally launching its movement with the Ziarat tragedy and the Balochistan issue. He demanded that those responsible for the Ziarat incident immediately resign or be removed from office.

Achakzai said the opposition leadership would visit Quetta to engage with the authorities and seek a peaceful resolution to the situation. He warned that if the Pashtun and Baloch people collectively made a decision, governing Balochistan would become impossible. He also urged authorities not to further provoke the youth, saying that violence in Kashmir and Balochistan would only lead to greater destruction. He added that if the provincial leadership failed to address public concerns, the opposition would use public support to force it from power.

Speaking at the press conference, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the opposition unanimously demanded the immediate resignation of the Balochistan government. He also called for all missing persons to be produced before the courts without delay and urged an end to what he described as official patronage of armed groups and “death squads” in the province.

Khokhar criticized Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Quetta, alleging that it was limited to a photo opportunity and claiming that the prime minister did not meet the families of those killed or the participants of the sit-in protest.

BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal said that if the state genuinely wanted to resolve the Balochistan issue, it must demonstrate seriousness. He stressed that political dialogue, rather than the use of force, was the only sustainable solution to the province’s longstanding challenges.