Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Akhtar Mengal has ordered the party’s two senators to resign immediately after they voted in favor of the 26th Constitutional Amendment during the Senate session on Sunday.
Mengal instructed Senator Naseema Ehsan and Senator Qasim Ronjho to submit their resignations, warning that failure to do so by tomorrow would result in their expulsion from the party. The two BNP-M senators supported the government’s amendment, which passed with a two-thirds majority, receiving 65 votes.
Read more: Akhtar Mengal Resigns from National Assembly, Citing Neglect of Balochistan
Senator Ehsan attended the Senate wearing a face mask, while Ronjho arrived in a wheelchair. Despite efforts to seat them among government members, they chose to return to the opposition benches.
Earlier, Mengal expressed concern over losing contact with his senators, stating, “We are here to find our senators. We’ve checked their lodges, but they are not there.” His comments came after the federal cabinet, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, approved the draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman also assured the government of his party’s support for the amendment.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House after the session, Mengal condemned the situation, describing it as a “disgraceful joke” played on the country’s parliament and constitution. He questioned the motivations behind the amendments, asking, “Which forces are being appeased by these changes? Will these amendments improve Pakistan’s economic situation? Will they address the longstanding injustices faced by the smaller provinces?”
Mengal accused political parties and intelligence agencies of prioritizing their own interests, stating that “day and night efforts were made to save their politics.” He affirmed his party’s commitment to political engagement within constitutional boundaries but expressed frustration at being marginalized, leading him to resign from his seat. Nevertheless, he insisted, “I never closed the doors of communication.”
Mengal also alleged that BNP senators faced pressure regarding the amendments and revealed that the husband of one of their female senators had been abducted, asking, “Was the 1973 Constitution created by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for this?”
