Mengal furious at not being taken on board while choosing caretaker CM

BNP-M chief says forces that created BAP are ‘Mai BAP’

QUETTA: In a veiled jibe at former opposition leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal has said that the main purpose of opposition parties was to take all opposition members on board before choosing the caretaker chief minister, but unfortunately "we were not consulted during the entire process".

“While sitting in the government availing all perks and privileges as ministers for five years, the former opposition parties only pretended that they were leading all opposition members,” said Mengal while addressing a party gathering in Kalat on Friday.



The BNP-M chief said, “Our party won’t allow anyone to steal our mandate as happened in the 2013 elections.”

On Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s stance that aliens ousted Nawaz Sharif’s government, Mengal said, “When the BNP-M tried to expose the aliens for killing the people of Balochistan and destroying their homes, no one took it seriously, but when kings of Punjab were deprived of their rule they started yelling aliens.”

He said, “Unfortunately in our country there is no value of human lives even if we protest, but when some ruler gets ousted from government he starts pointing fingers at aliens, and everybody listens.”



On the newly-formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Mengal said, “I am glad the orphans of politics have found their father in the garb of BAP. The forces that ‘created BAP are Mai BAP’.”

To a question regarding political betrayal he faced during his career, Mengal said, “We have had a bad experience by trusting others for political alignment.

“Following rules, the government and the opposition leader take all parties on board while naming the caretaker CM, but we were not contacted by both sides.”

Separately, a jirga was held by hierarchies of the Mengal tribe in Wadh, headed by the BNP-M chief, to review the strategy for the general elections.



Addressing the Jirga, Mengal said, “BNP-M is going to contest general elections with full fervor. Our major objective is to provide relief to the downtrodden people of Balochistan.”

He said, “Instead of ruling the people, we are going to strive for basic rights of the people of Balochistan. We won’t let them face any more despondency.”