Quetta: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, head of the Balochistan National Party, condemned the tragic September 2 blast in Quetta, calling it a shocking and heartbreaking incident. He said that 14 party workers and one police officer were martyred.
Mengal revealed that just 15 minutes before the blast, the workers were chanting “Pakistan Zindabad.” “No one carried weapons, and no anti-state slogans were raised,” he emphasized. He questioned the reasoning behind the attack, asking if the martyrs had robbed a bank, committed murder, or tried to overthrow the government.
He criticized repeated failures of the state. “How is it possible that intelligence agencies did not know where a suicide bomber would strike?” he asked. Mengal reminded the authorities that lessons from the 2006 killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti were ignored.
Mengal stressed that this was not just a loss for the Balochistan National Party. “The entire province of Balochistan has suffered,” he said. He vowed that the blood of the martyrs would not go in vain. He demanded immediate accountability and stronger measures to protect civilians.
He warned that continued negligence will embolden attackers. “If justice is not served, the consequences will be grave,” Mengal said. He called for proper investigation, dialogue, and respect for the lives of innocent citizens.
Mengal concluded with a defiant message: “The sacrifices of our martyrs will demand justice, and we will ensure it is delivered. Balochistan will not forget this tragedy.”
