Islamabad:
The president of the Association of the Supreme Bar (SCBA), Mian Rauf Atta, urged the federal and provincial governments to form a committee fully authorized to hold negotiations with the leader of the National-Mégal Party (BNP-M) of the Baloutchan, Akhtar Mengal.
Last Friday, the BNP-M announced a long Wadh march in Quetta to protest against the arrests of the chiefs and activists of the Baloch Yakjehti committee, notably Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as the repression of the police of their sit-in in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday.
An official statement was published concerning the meeting between the president of the SCBA and the head of the BNP-M, which took place in a place far from the district of Mastung.
According to the SCBA declaration, BNP-M, which is engaged in a protest movement, presented its position, claiming that their struggle and their protest are justified by the Constitution.
During the meeting, the mengals revealed that a government committee of Balutchistan had approached him. In response, the BNP-M presented three key requests, including the release of all detainees held under the MPO and the withdrawal of the related notification, as does the Sindh government.
The BNP-M asked for authorization to hold demonstrations or sit-ins in an designated area which was in the red zone. He also declared that if these requests are not satisfied, all of the leaders of BNP-M were ready to be arrested.
According to the press release, the BNP-M said that if their requests were not filled in a day or two, they would proceed to their march provided to the red zone.
The president of the SCBA reaffirmed that the right to the peaceful assembly, protest, freedom of expression and movement is the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The press release also noted that the two parties agreed that dialogue, negotiations and democratic processes are the only viable solutions to BNP-M concerns and broader questions of Balutchistan.
In addition, the president of the SCBA met the former chief minister of Balutchistan, Dr Abdul Malik, to discuss urgent issues in the province. Senator Mir Kabir Muhammad Shahi was also present at the meeting.
According to a SCBA press release, the meeting was held in the context of efforts to unite all national political parties to meet the ongoing challenges of Balutchistan. Discussions focused on the formulation of a long -term solution to the province’s problems.
The two parties have agreed that border management and the equitable distribution of resources are critical provincial issues. However, they stressed that these concerns should not have priority on public security and well-being of the citizens of Balutchistan.
The declaration expressed its concerns concerning the “lack of gravity displayed by traditional political parties” concerning the problems of Balutchistan.
