Awaran ‘abducted women’ return home: Mengal

QUETTA: Four women, who were arrested from Balochistan’s Awaran district last month, have been released and returned home, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal said on Monday.

Mengal and Sanaullah Baloch, a member of Balochistan Assembly, took to Twitter to announce their return.

The BNP-M chief had warned that his party would pull out of its alliance with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) if the women were not released.

“This wouldn’t be for the first time for us to quit the ruling alliance. We will not compromise when it comes to our dignity,” Mengal said while delivering a fiery speech in the National Assembly last week.

“Dictators have failed in the past when they tried to run Balochistan at gunpoint and the present government won’t be able to do either,” he added.

BNP-M lawmakers and MNAs from tribal districts then staged a token sit-in in front of speaker’s dais and staged a walkout from the House.

The deputy speaker, who was chairing the session, summoned the interior minister to the assembly to explain why the women were arrested.