‘Stolen’ mandate: BNP-M legislators put resignation plan on hold

A final decision will be made on June 28 at a party meeting.

QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) announced on Sunday that it would delay a plan to withdraw its elected representatives from the National and Balochistan assemblies in protest against rigging and voter fraud claims in the May 11 general elections.

“We have delayed our party’s earlier decision to resign from Balochistan Assembly and National Assembly on a request by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” senior party leader Sajid Tareen said.

Nawaz had made the appeal when a four-member BNP-M delegation led by Sajid Tareen held a meeting with the prime minister on behalf of party president Akhtar Mengal in Islamabad on Wednesday.

“The prime minister requested us not to resign from the assemblies in the greater interest of Balochistan and its people,” Tareen said.



The prime minister also assured his all-out support to the people of Balochistan in order to restore peace and resolve the long festering political and economic issues in the province.

Earlier, BNP-M president Akhtar Mengal had announced his party’s intentions to quit the assemblies in a bid  to register his party’s protest.

Mengal, as well as other BNP-M members, and a lone member of National Assembly Easi Noori have so far refused to take oath as part of their protest.

“We have accepted the prime minister’s advice for the time being and we will wait until June 28 for a practical step to be advocated by the PM in addressing our grievances. However, BNP-M will take a final decision at a general body meeting of the party on June 28 in Quetta,” said Tareen.

“Our party is holding public meetings in different parts of the province to forge consensus on whether to resign from the assemblies or not,” Tareen remarked. “We will continue our protest as the government machinery had stolen our election mandate.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2013.