QUETTA: A video from Friday’s Balochistan Awami National Party (BNP) has gone viral, showing a flag of the banned terrorist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), waved in the rally. The incident drew criticism from residents.
The short video showed the BLA flag being waved in front of the main stage. A Balochi anthem of “Greater Balochistan” was sung instead of Pakistan’s national anthem, raising serious questions about what is truly happening in the country’s politics.
The BNP-M President, Akhtar Mengal, addressed the gathering and announced the start of “politics of resistance.”
Government institutions were heavily criticised in his speech.
The protest was against the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists. Dr Mahrang Baloch was among those arrested.
Maharng Baloch and others were accused of attacking a hospital in Quetta to forcefully seize the bodies of terrorists killed in an operation. The operation followed the Jaffar Express terror attack.
Akhtar Mengal is presenting himself as a politician of principle and upholding the constitution and law. But a question is raised, then why would a leader, who has taken an oath to uphold Pakistan’s constitution and sovereignty, allow the flag to be flown and the anthem of a terrorist group to be part of his political event?
The RAW-sponsored BLA is a globally recognised terrorist organisation, responsible for numerous attacks on security forces, government installations, and civilians.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mahrang Baloch was seen a number of times draping his father’s grave with the flag of the so-called Azad-Balochistan. Interestingly, the same flag is often used by the terrorist organisation BLA to promote its terrorist agenda. This act serves as another example of ideological alignment between the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and BLA, blurring the line between civil activism and violent separatism.
Similarly, the act of allowing the BLA flag and anthem at his rally presents a clear deviation from the moderate path of maintaining a commitment to the nation’s unity and integrity while speaking for the Baloch community. This raises the question: Is it a strategic political move or an indication of deeper alliances? Or is he siding with a non-state actor that is actively working against the interests of Pakistan?
