A long march organized by the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) against the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Baloch, commenced from Wadh on Friday.
Led by BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the march included roughly 1,500-2,000 people. It will proceed to Quetta, where Mengal has said it will transform into a sit-in until the detained activists are released. In the first leg of the journey, the march reached Mastung, with people from cities on their route—Khuzdar, Surab, Kalat, Mangochar and Mastung—joining them in the protest.
From the outset, BNP-M leaders have alleged the local administration is trying to deter their peaceful protest by placing containers on roads and blockading Quetta with containers. Some Baloch leaders have alleged that the government has also suspended internet services in the region and blocked cellphone signals, but this could not be independently verified.
In a speech to the protesters at Khuzdar, Mengal said the demonstrators had brought both Eid clothes and coffins to underscore their intent to sustain the sit-in if their demands are not met. If authorities prevent their entry into Quetta, he warned, the march would proceed toward Islamabad.
He alleged that authorities had arrested several participants of the long march from Quetta, while others were being shelled. “We appeal to the people of Quetta to reach the other side of Lak Pass, and we request the people of Mastung to gather at Lak Pass on their side,” he said, vowing to reach Quetta even if he had to dig a tunnel under the Pass.
“We are strong, we are determined in our purpose, and above all, we are peaceful. No force, no coercion, can shake our morale, nor divert us from our path,” he wrote in a posting on X.
In his address at Khuzdar, he alleged authorities had sealed petrol pumps from Khuzdar to Quetta to deny vehicles accompanying the long march with fuel. He vowed that the protesters would reach Quetta even if they had to walk the entire way.
Several Baloch political parties have expressed support for the long march, as has the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. However, it remains unclear how many activists will join the protest as it winds its way toward Quetta.