QUETTA: A long march by the Balochistan National Party (BNP) Mengal, traveling from Wadh to Quetta, was struck by a suicide bombing near Mastung on Saturday. However, BNP leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other participants remained unharmed.
The march, which began from Mengal’s hometown of Wadh, was organized to protest the arrests of Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC) Chief Organizer Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other leaders, as well as a police crackdown on their ongoing sit-ins. However, Quetta authorities had denied BNP-Mengal permission to hold the rally.
The march, which included various political parties and motorcyclists, started around 9 am on Friday. BNP-Mengal later claimed that more than 250 of their workers were arrested by the police during their rally near Mastung. The party also reported dozens of injuries from police action, including heavy use of tear gas and road blockades by containers.
On Saturday, at approximately 1 pm, reports of an explosion near the rally emerged. Sardar Akhtar Mengal confirmed via X (formerly Twitter) that he and his party members were safe.
