Pakistan: Brahvi language poet shot dead in Quetta

QUETTA(Pakistan): Local Brahvi language poet and writer, Mir Allah Bakhsh Shahzad, was shot dead by unknown armed men in Sabzal Road area of Quetta in Pakistan’s Balochistan on Monday, Dawn reported.

According to police, armed motorcyclists targeted Shahzad when he was passing through the area. He suffered bullet injuries and died on the spot. Police took his body to Civil Hospital and later handed it over to his family, Dawn reported.

Earlier on May 2, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) President, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, declared the beginning of a “politics of national resistance,” criticising the failure of Pakistan’s parliament, judiciary, and other state institutions to safeguard the rights of the Baloch people, Dawn reported. Speaking at a large party gathering at Shahwani Stadium, Mengal said his party would no longer seek government permission to pursue its political activities.

He questioned how the BNP-M could remain silent when the authorities were “dishonouring people and Baloch women, carrying out genocide, and dumping mutilated bodies of our youths.” Mengal issued a stern warning that his party would not hesitate to organize demonstrations even outside military cantonments if state repression continued.

As per Dawn report, he criticised the judiciary for failing to dispense justice, accusing courts of giving repeated adjournments rather than protecting the constitutional rights of citizens. He further alleged that judicial decisions were being made “according to the will of sector commanders instead of the law and Constitution.”

According to reports, the event was also addressed by BNP-M Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen Advocate; Iqra Baloch, sister of prominent activist Mahrang Baloch; Nasarullah Baloch, chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP); and several other political figures. The speakers demanded the immediate release of Mahrang Baloch and other activists who have been detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. (ANI)