QUETTA: Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal was stopped from boarding an international flight to Dubai on Sunday after immigration officials cited his name on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
Mengal was offloaded from a private airline flight at Quetta International Airport, with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) confirming that his name appeared on the PNIL, a government watchlist used to restrict international travel.
In a statement on social media, Mengal confirmed the incident, stating, “I was traveling to Dubai when immigration staff informed me that my name is on the PNIL, and I was offloaded.” He expressed his frustration at not being notified in advance about the restriction.
The move has sparked widespread condemnation from BNP officials, with former federal ministers Agha Hassan Baloch and Ghulam Nabi Marri calling the action “illegal and unconstitutional.”
They emphasized that Mengal remains a sitting Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and that his resignation, which was submitted earlier, has not yet been accepted by the authorities.
The leaders of the BNP called for an immediate explanation from the government, asserting that the restriction on a serving MNA’s international travel lacked legal grounds.
This incident is expected to further fuel criticisms from political and human rights advocates, who view it as part of a broader effort to stifle dissenting voices in the country, especially from Balochistan, where Mengal has been a vocal advocate for human rights and against enforced disappearances.
