May 20, 2002	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1423

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QUETTA, May 19: The Balochistan province remained cut off with the rest of the country through road link on second consecutive day on Sunday as transporters continued their strike.

All coaches, minibuses, trucks and other passenger vehicles remained off the road in this provincial capital in protest against increasing number of highway robberies, rising petrol and diesel prices and harassment by law enforcement agencies during checking on highways.

No transport bound for destinations in the three provinces was available. The transporters parked their buses and other passenger vehicles in bus stands and did not allow any vehicle to ply on national highways.

The passenger buses from other parts of the country also did not enter Quetta as striking transporters had asked their counterparts in other provinces not to send their vehicles to Balochistan.

The passengers faced great hardship due to the strike, some of whom had been left stranded there after travelling into this city and other Balochistan destinations before the strike began.

Heavy rush was witnessed at Quetta railway station as people desperate to move out of here, were trying to catch trains. A large number of them had to face disappointment, though, because of the limited number of seats available on trains.

Meanwhile, a Mushtarka Ittehad Transporters and Taftan Transport Union meeting on Sunday announced that they would continue their peaceful strike till the acceptance of their demands.

The meeting urged the government to immediately take practical steps to ensure safe travel on highways and implement its previous decision about abolishing checkpoints set up by various law enforcement agencies.