15 Killed As Deadly Blast Rocks BNP Rally In Quetta, Narrow Escape For Party Chief

Last Updated:September 03, 2025, 17:03 IST

In a fiery speech before the attack, Akhtar Mengal launched a scathing critique of the Pakistani military establishment, accusing it of systematically oppressing the Baloch people

BNP chief and former federal minister Akhtar Mengal, who was addressing the rally moments before the blast, narrowly escaped unhurt. (AI-generated image, used for representational purposes)

A deadly explosion tore through a public rally organised by the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) in Quetta on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. The attack targeted a gathering held to commemorate the fourth death anniversary of BNP founder and former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Attaullah Mengal.

BNP chief and former federal minister Akhtar Mengal, who was addressing the rally moments before the blast, narrowly escaped unhurt.

In a fiery speech just before the attack, Akhtar Mengal launched a scathing critique of the Pakistani military establishment, accusing it of systematically oppressing the Baloch people. He condemned the continued enforced disappearances, alleged military atrocities, and the incarceration of Baloch women and activists, including Dr Maharang Baloch, who he said is being held without credible charges.

“We are receiving bullet-ridden bodies of our young generation… This is the so-called democracy of Pakistan, where speaking the truth leads to FIRs," Mengal said, directly blaming state institutions for undermining civil rights in Balochistan.

Dictators and army rulers have violated the Constitution multiple times, the BNP chief alleged, adding: “This is the so-called democratic system in Pakistan… If someone speaks, they face FIRs."

Sources told CNN-News18 that senior BNP leaders and party sources blamed Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, alleging the attack was orchestrated to silence dissent and intimidate the party’s leadership, particularly Akhtar Mengal, an outspoken critic of the military’s role in Balochistan.

Mengal, who is currently allied with former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI, has repeatedly challenged the military’s involvement in governance and raised issues of missing persons and extrajudicial killings in the province.

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, the timing of the attack, right after Mengal’s scathing criticism of the military, has led to widespread suspicion.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most underdeveloped province, has long been the epicenter of insurgent violence, military operations, and political unrest. Nationalist parties like BNP-Mengal have accused the state of treating the province like a colony, exploiting its resources while denying its people basic rights.

Human rights organisations have documented hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings—allegations the government and military continue to deny.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Location :

Pakistan

First Published:

September 03, 2025, 08:00 IST

News world 15 Killed As Deadly Blast Rocks BNP Rally In Quetta, Narrow Escape For Party Chief

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