In the absence of the National Assembly speaker, Mengal submitted his resignation to the assembly secretary. Speaking to the media alongside Mehmood Khan Achakzai outside Parliament House, Mengal voiced his deep disillusionment with the indifference shown by the government and his fellow parliamentarians toward the ongoing crises in Balochistan. “I had intended to raise the issues of Balochistan in the assembly today,” Mengal stated, but he lamented that “people are not interested in the issue of Balochistan.”
Mengal delivered a stark warning, recalling that a parliamentarian had remarked that “Balochistan is slipping out of our hands.” He countered this by declaring, “Balochistan is not slipping out of your hands; it has already slipped out.”
He strongly criticized the government’s failure to address the bloodshed in Balochistan and called for unity among political leaders to tackle the province’s challenges. “Everyone should come together on this issue, and a meeting should have been convened to discuss it,” he urged.
Mengal also expressed his frustration that discussions about Balochistan are often “blacked out” when raised in the assembly. “Whenever you start talking about this issue, it is blacked out,” he noted.
Challenging his critics, Mengal said, “If you disagree with my words, then listen to me with patience. If I’m still wrong, I accept any punishment. Eliminate me in an encounter outside parliament or kill me, but at least listen to me.”
The BNP chief also criticized those who had taken an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance), blaming them for the bloodshed in Balochistan. Reflecting on a 2023 meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, Mengal recounted raising concerns about the youth of Balochistan. He warned at the time, “If our youth switch to other parties or turn towards militancy, don’t complain.”
In an emotional conclusion, Mengal revealed that he had not even consulted his party before deciding to resign from the National Assembly. He expressed a deep mistrust in state institutions, ending his address with a poignant metaphor: “I sell mirrors in the city of the blind.”
