Pakistani nationalist party calls Balochistan strike as government warns of arrests

ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) on Wednesday called off a weeks-long sit-in in southwest Pakistan against the arrest last month of Baloch ethnic rights activists, the chief of the party said in a press conference. 

BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and his supporters have been leading a protest since Mar. 28, days after Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the most prominent rights activist from Balochistan, and others were arrested after they took part in a protest outside the University of Balochistan in the provincial capital of Quetta. Baloch and other activists had been demanding the release of other members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee rights group, whom they allege have been detained by security agencies. 

That demonstration ended in the death of three protesters, according to police documents, and Baloch and others were charged with terrorism, sedition, and murder. The Pakistan army and government have in the past variously referred to Baloch and her BYC as ‘terrorist proxies’ who are allied with militant separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The group denies the charge and says it leads peaceful protests for the rights of the Baloch. 

“Keeping in mind everything, giving importance to the difficulties of the people, the Balochistan National Party has decided that if the government does not allow us to go to Quetta, we will continue our protest, if not this way, then any other way we deem fit,” Mengal Said at a press conference in Mastung where his party had been holding the sit-in. 

He did not elaborate on a future course of action. 

The crackdown on BYC leaders followed a deadly train attack in Balochistan last month, in which BLA separatist militants took hundreds of passengers hostage. The army said 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack and rescue mission, which lasted over a day. 

Last year, Baloch was barred from traveling to the United States to attend a TIME magazine awards gala after being named on the 2024 TIME100 Next list of “rising leaders.” 

She began her activist career at the age of 16 in 2009 when her father went missing in an alleged “enforced disappearance.” His body was found two years later. Her BYC says it campaigns against such extrajudicial killings, abductions and other rights abuses against the ethnic Baloch people. The state denies official complicity. 

Protests and advocacy among the Baloch are often led by women, who say their male counterparts have suffered the worst in a decades-long state crackdown.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces and foreign nationals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

KARACHI: Pakistani actor Yasir Hussain has returned to his theater roots with “Monkey Business,” a farcical comedy currently drawing crowds to the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, though he says it remains nearly impossible for artists to survive on theater alone in the country.
The actor, who rose to prominence through iconic roles in Anwar Maqsood’s plays before moving into television and film, is now back on stage after years. His return comes at a time when Pakistan’s theater scene continues to struggle with limited commercial viability, high production costs and little state support.
“I don’t think an artist should solely rely on theater [in Pakistan]. They should do TV and film too,” Hussain told Arab News on Tuesday.
“Even today if I am offered a project like ‘Badshah Begum,’ ‘Baandi,’ ‘Jhooti’ or ‘Aik Thi Laila,’ which were all great scripts, I’d still do it,” he added, naming some of the television productions.
Hussain stars as Wasim in Monkey Business, a satire about aspiring actors who get involved in phishing scams. The play opened on April 5 and runs through April 21 in Karachi, before heading to Lahore and Islamabad.

“He is a fraud,” he said while describing his character in the play. “It’s all about actors, new actors and they are into some kind of phishing business. It’s a farce comedy.”

Known for his early work in Anwar Maqsood’s “Pawnay 14 August” and “Half Playt,” Hussain transitioned to television and film over the past decade, also producing and directing for screen.
His latest TV drama “Paradise,” which he produced under his banner LO IQ Films, premiered earlier this week, starring Iqra Aziz, his wife, and Shuja Asad.
“I really want to pitch good scripts to my wife,” he said, adding: “In Paradise, if you see the first episode, you’ll see that it’s a custom-made character for Iqra.”
Hussain and Aziz, a renowned actress in her own right, previously appeared together in Jhooti and later in the mini-series Aik Thi Laila. But Hussain said he avoids working opposite her in lead roles post-marriage.
“Marriage is a very personal thing and I don’t want to show that chemistry onscreen in a TV drama at least,” he explained. “I don’t want her screen age to increase for no reason because of me. And I don’t want to share the small screen with her just because she is a famous actress. I have no interest in appearing in dramas nor sharing the small screen with my wife.”

Though he’s focused on stage shows and direction at the moment, Hussain doubts theater can thrive in Pakistan without institutional support.
“How will theater in Pakistan rise? This place where we are performing theater, the rent is 1.5 to 2 lakhs rupees [$357 to $713] in addition to lights, sounds and other expenses. Theater [setup] for a day costs a lot, equal to the amount it generates,” he said.
“Unless the government plays a part in [promoting] theater or film, no one can do it. It cannot flourish.”
Hussain also drew a distinction between commercial theater like Monkey Business and the work staged at institutions like the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
“It’s good for NAPA but it’s not commercially viable,” he said. “There is no hype around the city for such kind of theater.”
Asked about his future plans, Hussain said he wanted to venture into film production under LO IQ Films.
“I am enjoying production. LO IQ Films is producing theater as well as TV so now I want to produce films,” he said.