QUETTA, Nov 15: Opposition parties have backed the National Party’s call for observing a shutter-down strike and a black day on Thursday in district headquarters of the province to protest against President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s scheduled visit to Gwadar.

In separate statements issued here, political parties, including the Jamhoori Watan Party, People’s Party Parliamentarians, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Awami National Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, and the Baloch Students Organisation asked businessmen and general public to cooperate with them to make the strike a success.

In another statement, National Party chief Dr Hayee Baloch hoped that people and traders would observe a black day and a strike on Thursday to condemn the military operation in Balochistan and the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

He said hundreds of innocent people had been killed in the operation and many more political workers arrested by agencies.

President Pervez Musharraf is due in Gwadar on a two-day visit on Thursday.