QUETTA, March 17: Hundreds of vehicles travelling between Karachi and Quetta were stuck on Wednesday as armed Mengal tribesmen blocked the ECO Highway near Wadh in protest against the postponement of by-election of the local union council.

The Balochistan government has asked the Election Commission to postpone the election due to law and order problem. Hundreds of tribesmen blocked the highway in the morning by putting barricades and burning tyres.

All the passenger coaches, buses and other vehicles plying between Karachi and Quetta were stopped at Khuzdar and Bela. The passengers faced difficulties as the traffic was not restored till the evening.

Law-enforcement agencies reached the site and district administration officials held talks with the leaders of the protesters but they refused to end the blockade till the withdrawal of the decision. A mob had ransacked and set on fire the offices of the tehsil nazim and the executive administrative officer in Wadh four days ago.