QUETTA – Senior Baloch nationalist and BNP President Sardar Akhtar Mengal has dramatically offloaded from UAE-bound flight at Balochistan’s capital on Sunday without warning, without explanation, and under a shroud of secrecy.
Mengal, a key opposition figure and outspoken critic of federal policies, was informed by immigration officials that his name had suddenly appeared on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), a controversial tool often used to bar individuals from travelling abroad.
The incident sent political shockwaves through a tense landscape in the country’s southwestern region, with critics calling it a clear attempt to muzzle dissent.
In a social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mengal said he was stopped at Quetta Airport and told I am on the PNIL. No prior notice. No justification. Silence speaks louder than words.
Balochistan National Party immediately condemned act, calling it as a “blatant attack on democracy” and an “authoritarian strike against political resistance.” The party demanded Mengal’s immediate removal from the list and full accountability from those behind the decision.
BNP Information Secretary Agha Hassan Baloch didn’t mince words, calling the move “unconstitutional, illegal, and deeply sinister.”
“This is not about national security — this is about silencing Baloch leadership. Freedom of movement is a constitutional right, not a privilege granted by the powerful,” he said.
BNP Senator Sana Baloch went further, warning of a “dark chapter of repression unfolding” in Pakistan.
“This is political warfare. Targeting an elected Baloch leader under the guise of legality is a disgrace to democratic values,” he said, calling for a full parliamentary inquiry into what the BNP is calling a “coordinated campaign” against Baloch voices.
No official justification has been provided by the government as of this report. Silence from Islamabad is only fueling speculation that the move was politically orchestrated to keep Mengal — a fierce critic of military operations and central authority in Balochistan — from engaging in international advocacy.
