On Wednesday, the Balutchistan National Party (BNP-M) announced on Wednesday the end of its 20-day demonstration at the sit-in at Lak Pass, Mastung, which had been staged against the arrests of Baloch rights activists, including the head of the Baloch Yakjehti committee (BYC), Dr. Mahrang Baloch.
BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal, speaking to the supporters, said that the demonstration was canceled to avoid disturbing the public more, in particular due to road closings affecting critical trade and transport links, Express News reported.
The party will now organize rallies in various Balutchistan districts instead, said Mengal, adding that the BNP-M Central Committee will meet in Quetta on April 18 to finalize its strategy.
The sit-in started after the detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and 16 other people during a protest camp in Quetta.
A few days earlier, the group accused the police of having beat three of their supporters to death.
Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of BYC, was also arrested during demonstrations related to Karachi, but was then released.
The demonstration had seriously disrupted trade, the Quetta-Karachi and Quetta-Taftan highways, leaving more than 1,200 cargo vehicles, including oil tankers, blocked on the Pak-Iran border.
The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) estimated the daily financial losses by millions.
Earlier this week, BNP-M summoned a conference of all parties to Quetta, where nine resolutions have been adopted.
The declaration called for the application of constitutional rights linked to the Balutchistan membership instrument in 1948 and urged a national dialogue to tackle the long -standing grievances.
Despite the end of the sit-in, Mengal has sworn that the party would not abandon its requests for justice and responsibility.
