Akhtar Mengal booked over ‘scuffle’ with Senate security staff

ISLAMABAD: Days after Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal was ‘expelled’ from the Senate gallery ahead of a vote on the 26th Amendment, the Islamabad police on Thursday registered a terrorism case against the BNP chief and several others for allegedly entering the Senate premises and ‘scuffling’ with the security staff.
The police also arrested BNP leader Akhtar Hussain Langove in connection with the case, said the BNP-M chief. In a statement on ‘X’ of Akhtar Mengal, Akhtar Hussain Langove, who is a former MPA and the BNP finance secretary, was allegedly arrested by police and intelligence agencies from Islamabad.

The FIR registered at the Secretariat police station contained Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, along with Section 506ii, 458, 186, 353, and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code. It was registered at the request of Senate Secretariat Joint Secretary Jamil Ahmed Khoso.

Along with Akhtar Mengal, Ahmed Nawaz, Mir Jehanzeb Mengal, Akhtar Hussain Langove, Shafi Mohammad, and Shafiq were also booked.
According to the FIR, during the Senate session on October 20, unauthorised individuals Shafi Mohammad, Ahmed Nawaz, Mir Jehanzeb Mengal, Akhtar Hussain Langove, and Shafiq tried to enter the “Senate galleries and lobbies without permission”.
It was reported that they were accompanying Akhtar Mengal. However, when the Senate security staff tried to stop them from entering, they scuffled with the staff and forcefully pushed the security officials deputed in the Senate hall.
The FIR said they were armed as well. It said, “You (police) are required to take action against the above-named individuals as admissible under the law.”
Before the registration of this FIR, the capital police had raided the residence of the BNP chief located in Parliament Lodges. The raid on Oct 17 — three days before the voting on the amendment bill — coincided with the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in Islamabad.
Over the raid, the police on their official ‘X’ account claimed that a security audit was underway regarding the SCO Summit, as several delegates were still in Islamabad. In context, the police had kept the security on high alert to address the security concerns. The police had arrived at the lodges because of security concerns.
A police officer had said that during the raid, the police found acting BNP president Sajid Tareen at the flat of Sardar Akhtar Mengal who was informed that the raid was conducted in response to an intelligence report regarding the alleged presence of some suspects.

It may be noted that BNP-M senators Muhammad Qasim and Naseema Ehsan had voted for the bill, enabling the ruling coalition to complete its numbers in the upper house of parliament for the 26th amendment.
Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024