Tag: BNP-M

  • Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    The Punjab government revealed on Wednesday that the abandoned bodies that were found on the roof of Nishtar Hospital’s mortuary in Multan are not of Balochistan’s missing persons and have been buried.

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Advisor, Tariq Zaman Gujjar, clarified that the Vice Chancellor and administration of Nishtar Medical Health University have a complete record of abandoned bodies and none of them is a missing person

    On the same day, the hospital’s administration and Edhi Foundation buried the remains of 66 corpses, all found in various stages of decomposition.

    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, had also expressed concerns that the bodies could be of Balochistan’s missing persons. Mengal had demanded that an investigation must be held.

    The Baloch leader also asked for conducting DNA tests on the corpses, fearing that some of them might be missing persons.

    Responding to this, Gujjar said that he respects Akhtar Mengal but his statement was surprising in that he suspected the abandoned bodies might be those of missing persons.

    Last week, the grisly discovery of putrefied bodies found lying in open on the roof of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital grabbed the country’s attention after videos were widely shared on social media.

    At that time, it was speculated by online media that up to 500 bodies were allegedly found on the rooftop of the hospital. Soon after, an investigation was launched.

    Earlier, Nishtar Medical University’s (NMU) Head of Anatomy Department, Dr Mariam Ashraf said that the facility does not just keep bodies for research purposes but also for safekeeping, if handed over by police or Rescue personnel.

    She claimed that there were only four bodies on the rooftop. “The only reason for keeping bodies on the roof is that their influx is huge and they aren’t being returned back to police stations in the numbers that they should,” she claimed.

  • PTI caught off-guard as allied BNP-M quits coalition govt

    PTI caught off-guard as allied BNP-M quits coalition govt

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government appeared to be caught off-guard as the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), one of the eight political parties who either support the federal government or are a part of the ruling coalition, on Wednesday announced to end its alliance with the Imran Khan government.

    Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly (NA) during a session, party President Sardar Akhtar Mengal officially announced that his party was separating itself from the government. “We will stay in parliament and will keep talking about issues,” he said.

    The two parties had signed a six-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) in August 2018 for an alliance in centre. The six points included recovery of missing persons, implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), implementation of six per cent quota for Balochistan in the federal government, immediate repatriation of Afghan refugees and the construction of dams in the province to resolve the acute water crisis.

    Mengal reminded the House that his party had two agreements with the ruling party, adding that it was the Imran Khan-led party which had come to him for an alliance, not the BNP-M which went to Bani Gala — the personal residence of PM Imran.

    “The first agreement was done on August 8, 2018 and signed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jahangir Tareen and Yar Muhammad Rind,” recalled Mengal. 

    He added that his party had demanded that the missing persons issue be resolved and the National Action Plan be implemented in letter and spirit in the agreement.

    “Can someone tell us if there was anything unconstitutional in both these demands? Why were they not implemented?” asked the lawmaker from Balochistan. 

    He regretted that the ruling party’s mindset was “the same one running in the country since 1948”.

    “We waited for two years for the implementation of the agreement; we are ready to [wait] further, but start something,” appealed the nationalist leader. 

    He added that if the government wishes to take his province along, then they should implement their agreements with BNP-M.

    While highlighting his grievances in the assembly, the lawmaker stated that the foundations for the road from Chaman to Karachi were laid in 1973, and it has killed 4,500 in road accidents. He added that instead of giving them a six-lane road, the government gave them only a two-lane road.

    The BNP-M leader also claimed that “no one can find justice in this country” and that “justice is being sold”. 

    While hitting out at the government, he noted that Pakistan Steel Mills were being privatised and thousands were being unemployed.

    “The disappointing thing is that no one here is ready to listen to their [the laid off workers’] demands,” said Mengal. He added that if the demands could not be met, then they should at least be noted.

    “It has become a tradition here that the last government is held responsible for everything,” said Mengal.

    The alliance with the PTI was only in the centre, while the BNP-M’s alliance with the Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Balochis­tan continues at the provincial level.

    The coalition government has been struggling over “broken promises” for quite some time now as the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also do not seem much satisfied with the ruling PTI’s performance.

    Wednesday’s development and its consequences could spell trouble for PM Imran who was elected as the leader of the house with a thin majority.

  • Mengal wants DG Khan, Rajanpur back in Balochistan

    Mengal wants DG Khan, Rajanpur back in Balochistan

    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal has demanded the inclusion of Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan and Rajanpur into Balochistan, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, BNP-M chief while addressing a gathering held at Kalama Chowk of Taunsa tehsil in honour of the martyrs of Koh-e-Sulaiman said that Balochistan had the lowest population in Pakistan despite having an area of 43% of the country.

    “Both these regions should be included in Balochistan to balance the population,” Mengal said, adding that they were part of the province at the time of partition.

    While criticising the the government for launching mega projects such as metro trains under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in other cities of the country, he said that no welfare projects were being introduced in Balochistan.

    Akhtar Mengal also accused the government of “selling” the entire country, including Balochistan province under CPEC.

    Akhtar said that he is only supporting the government for the implementation of his six-point agenda.

    “I am not supporting them in greed for any post,” he added, saying that he was striving for the rights of his people within the framework of the Constitution.

    He further demanded of the Punjab chief minister to conduct an inquiry into the killing of two persons in DG Khan two months back in police encounter.