After three unsuccessful rounds of negotiations, no progress has been made to end the BNP-M’s sit-in near Mastung. On Thursday, Sardar Akhtar Mengal announced that the movement would escalate, with plans to march on Quetta on April 6 to demand the release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other BYC leaders.
As the sit-in stretched into its sixth day, Mengal, who had previously engaged in talks with government representatives, reaffirmed that the protest would continue until their demands were fully addressed.
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Speaking at the protest camp, he confirmed that participants gathered at the Lakpass area would begin their march toward Quetta on Sunday.
The closure of the Lakpas Tunnel and the sit-in by BNP Mengal have caused a complete halt to the Pak-Iran highway for several days. Thousands of people, including government employees, traders, farmers, and individuals from various walks of life belonging to Chagai, Sindh, KPK, Punjab, and other regions, are unable to reach their homes and are stranded in different areas.
All two-way business activities from Quetta to the Pak-Iran border at Taftan have been completely disrupted for the last ten days. Significant business losses are reported between Taftan and Quetta, and on the Quetta-Iran trade route. Heavy freight and passenger vehicles are at a standstill, causing transporters to incur millions of losses.
The Pak-Iran highway from Iran to Quetta remains entirely closed, leaving people from all four provinces—Sindh, Punjab, KPK, and Balochistan—stranded in various areas for the past ten days. Transporters are also severely affected.
