Government of Balochistan Open to Dialogue, Ready to Hand Over Negotiation Committee Leadership to Opposition

Spokesperson for the Government of Balochistan, Shahid Rind, has stated that the government is ready to hand over the leadership of the negotiation committee to the opposition or Dr. Malik Baloch if they can improve the situation. In a press conference, Rind announced that there are existing forums for dialogue, but the Balochistan National Party (BNP) is unwilling to enter the provincial assembly, and Mahmood Achakzai and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are not ready to enter the national assembly.

Responding to the decision to stop the BNP’s long march from reaching Quetta, Rind explained that certain decisions had to be made due to security threats. He further mentioned that there is a risk of terrorist attacks during the BNP’s long march in Quetta.

During the press conference, DIG Quetta, Atta Zahir Ahmed Gorya, revealed that after the train attack, the bodies of the terrorists killed in the operation were taken by Balochistan Youth Congress (BYC) members on the same night. He also mentioned that the hospital administration had been forced to remove the bodies after physical altercations occurred. Gorya also pointed out that while peaceful protests had been promised, CCTV cameras were broken, and optic fiber cables were burned during the protests.