Lasbela gathering: Mengal urges bounty for violators of Constitution

QUETTA: Chief of his eponymous faction of Balochistan National Party has called for a bounty for those who violated Pakistan’s Constitution. “I will pay the money, if a bounty is announced,” Sardar Akhtar Mengal told a party gathering in Lasbella on Sunday.

Though he didn’t name anyone, he was unarguably referring to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a treason trial for subverting the Constitution in November 2007 by declaring state of emergency in the country.

Musharraf flew to Dubai on Thursday, a day after the government lifted international travel restrictions on him in compliance with a Supreme Court order. The move triggered scathing criticism from opposition parties, the PPP in particular.

“The champions of democracy should tell us where Musharraf has gone,” Mengal said in Sunday’s speech. “In Pakistan, violating the Constitution is not a crime, but demanding one’s rights is a sin,” he said referring to the persistent demands of the leaders of the dirt-poor province for what they call their due economic rights.



“My forefathers committed this sin and my coming generations will also commit this sin,” Mengal said. “Any development package that doesn’t benefit the people of Balochistan is not acceptable to us,” he added. He laughed off the rulers’ claims about the dawn of an era of peace and prosperity in Balochistan.

Mengal said the Baloch history was being twisted in the textbooks of Punjab which is condemnable. “The Baloch are a civilised nation, and no one can tarnish their history in this way,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st,  2016.