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QUETTA, Aug 27: The alliance of four Baloch parties, Jamhoori Watan Party, National Party, Balochistan National Party (Mengal) and Baloch Haq Tawar, has said the government totally failed to sabtage the shutter-down strike as the business community from Gwadar to Zhob responded enthusiastically to its strike call, rejecting establishment of cantonments and the launching of mega projects in Balochistan.
Speaking at a press conference in press club on Friday, JWP ex-chief Mir Hamayun Marri, opposition leader Kachkol Baloch, Mir Tahir Bizenjo (NP) and Malik Wali Kakar (BNP-Mengal) alleged that hundreds of alliance workers were arrested from Quetta and interior of the province.
They thanked businessmen and traders for observing the strike on the call of the alliance. They also lauded the support extended by the PMAP, ANP, PML-N, Hazara political workers, and students' organizations to the protest.
Alliance leaders stated that the strike endorsed the struggle of nationalists opposing the mega projects and denouncing the detention of political activists and filing of false cases against the nationalists.
They while condemning the government for using all official resources to force traders to ignore the shutter down strike call but the positive response by businessmen exposed the designs of the rulers.
The representatives of the alliance announced that they would not give up the struggle until government stops its plan to launch mega projects. They claimed that about 60 workers were detained in Quetta whereas hundreds have been apprehended in interior of the province.
BAR ASSOCIATION: The Balochistan Bar Association has condemned the arrest of its members during the shutter-down strike and alleged that police officials refused to allow senior lawyers to meet arrested persons in the police station.
BBA president Mohammad Wasay Tareen talking to newsmen on Friday said that general body of the Bar would meet on Saturday that would determine future strategy including to sit-in front of Governor House to protest against the behaviour of senior police official.
He said that Sajid Tareen advocate, Sadiq Raisani, Sher Jan, Agha Zahir Shah, and Abdul Ghani advocate were arrested without any specific reason saying that police was disturbed by the successful strike in the city on the call of political groups.
SHUTTERS DOWN: Shopkeepers in the provincial capital and other districts kept the shutters down on Friday on the strike call of four-party alliance of Balochistan.
The strike call was given in protest against the military operation, establishment of cantonments, detention of political activists and filing of false cases against nationalist leaders in Balochistan.
Law-enforcement agencies claimed that 50 members of the alliance were arrested on Friday because they were forcing the shopkeepers to put up the shutters. But the opposition leader in the provincial assembly, Kachkol Ali Baloch, said that the police have arrested six lawyers and 140 members of the alliance without any reason.
Main shopping centres, trading establishments and shops at Jinnah road, Shara-i-Iqbal, Shara-i-Liaquat, Prince road, Masjid road, Mission road, Surajganj bazaar, Sirki road, Zarghoon road, Brewery road and Sariab road, remained close.
However, partial strike was witnessed at the Joint road, Circular road, Kasi road, Alamdar road, Alamo chowk, Nawa Killi and Kuchlak. Reports about the shutter-down strike were also received from Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Khuzdar, Sibi, Turbat, Gwadar, Pasni, Panjgur, Nushki, Kalat and Mastung.
Capital City police officer Pervaiz Rafi Bhatti told Dawn that 50 activists of the alliance were rounded up in the morning when they were forcing the shopkeepers to put up the shutters.
