Karachi: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, a Baluch nationalist leader who was in self-exile for years, on Monday arrived in Karachi to lead his party in the May 11 elections in Baluchistan province.
Mengal, who is the head of the Baluchistan National Party (BNP), left the country more than four years ago, protesting at what he termed the ‘state atrocities’ on Baluch nationalists and its people.
He briefly came in to record his statement in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in a missing persons case but went back in self-exile.
A large number of BNP activists and his followers went to Karachi airport to greet him.
In his brief statement to the media he expressed satisfaction as well as disappointment over the appointment of Mir Hazar Khan Khoso as caretaker prime minister.
“He is an honest and gentleman but who values these characteristics in this country,” he said.
Mengal’s arrival has been of much significance with regard to the political process in Baluchistan province. Separatist insurgents took charge in the province leaving little room for political parties after the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.
The tribal chieftain Bugti was killed during a military operation during the regime of Pervez Musharraf, who now faces charges.
Mengal, when he came in October 2012 to Islamabad proposed a six-point package to prevent the fall of Baluchistan.
He demanded calling off military operations, whether overt or covert. In order to salvage the national integrity, Mengal also demanded the recovery of all missing persons from Balochistan, who were in the alleged custody of intelligence agencies.
The BNP chief said that it was also a must to let all political parties act freely without the meddling of the establishment or intelligence agencies. He also suggested to bring to book all those who had committed murders of Baluchs. A rehabilitation economic package should follow so that the hearts of disgruntled Baluchs could be won over.
