First round of govt-BNP talks ends in stalemate

QUETTA: The first round of negotiations between the Balochistan government and the Balochistan National Party (BNP) ended without any progress. The BNP announced that it would continue its sit-in protest.

On Saturday, a delegation led by provincial minister Zahoor Baledi, along with provincial minister Bakht Mohammad Kakar, central leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party Sardar Noor Ahmad Bangulzai, and administrative officers, met the BNP leaders, including Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Agha Musa Jan, Sajid Tareen Advocate, Mir Akhtar Hussain Langove, Sana Baloch, Mir Hamal Kalmati and other party members.

The delegation requested the BNP leaders to end their protest and disperse peacefully, citing the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan and the hardships faced by the public. However, BNP leaders informed the delegation that their protest was based on a single-point agenda: the immediate release of detained women, including Dr Mahrang Baloch. They stated that they would end the sit-in if the detainees were freed.

The BNP also demanded permission to travel to Quetta, stating that it was the government that had blocked the roads. The government delegation responded that Dr Mahrang Baloch and other women were in judicial custody and prison, and the government could not release them unilaterally, as there is a legal procedure for that.

In response, the BNP announced that the sit-in protest would continue until the women were released. The government delegation returned without any progress.