Sardar Akhtar Mengal, chief of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), has said Pakistan Army backed- agencies are harassing his family members and party senators, underscoring the persistent persecution faced by Baloch leaders. In a post on the social media platform X, Mengal said that despite his resignation from the Assembly, the harassment by these agencies has not ceased.
“Even after my resignation, the agencies continued to harass my two senators and family members. The only option I have left is to demand the senators’ resignations. You [the occupied-state] have left us with no other path,” Mengal said.
Mengal revealed that he resigned from the Assembly due to the occupied-government’s exploitative treatment of Pak-occupied-Balochistan, marking yet another chapter in the province’s long struggle against systemic neglect and repression. “I stepped down because of the way this occupied-government and those in power have treated POB,” he explained, signaling frustration with Islamabad’s continued betrayal of its promises.
This public denunciation highlights the entrenched colonial mindset of Paki establishment towards POB. Despite participating in electoral politics, Baloch leaders, including Mengal, are increasingly marginalized through surveillance, intimidation, and targeted harassment.
The military establishment, which has maintained an iron grip on POB since its forced annexation in 1948, continues to suppress nationalist movements through disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and political interference. Mengal’s resignation is emblematic of the deepening rift between Baloch leaders and the Pak Army-occupied- state, where participation in mainstream politics offers little relief from military-backed oppression.