QUETTA, Nov 29: At least hundred more leaders and workers of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) have been arrested from Makran and other areas of the province, party sources said on Wednesday.
Among those arrested are BNM-P senior vice-president Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni, deputy secretary-general Jehanzeb Baloch, member of the party’s central committee Prince Musa Jan, Arbab Gul Nawaz and former MPA Akhtar Hussain Lango.
According to the sources, the arrests of leaders and workers were made in raids conducted by police and the Anti-Terrorist Force in Panjgur, Nushki, Gwadar, Hub and many other areas on Wednesday.
“About 700 leaders and workers have so far been arrested from various areas after the party announced the launch of a long march from Gwadar to Quetta, starting on November 30,” central leader of BNP-M Rauf Mengal told Dawn.
Despite these arrests, a big public meeting would be held in Gwadar on November 30 against the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, ongoing military operation and ‘extra-constitutional’ arrests of political leaders and activists.
The BNP-M leader warned that if the government tried to stop the long march, a province-wide, shutter-down call would be given and all national highways, linking Balochistan with rest of the country, would be blocked.
RAILWAY TRACKS DAMAGED: Rail traffic between Quetta and Zahidan was suspended on Wednesday after powerful explosions in Galangoor area damaged parts of the track.
Railways officials said that explosives fitted with timers had been planted at four places under the railway track between Nushki and Galangoor. The explosives went off on Wednesday morning damaging 22 feet of the track.
The officials said that repair work had been taken up, but it would take at least two days to restore the line for rail traffic.
The officials, however, said that passenger trains on the Quetta-Zahidan section would not be affected because the Pakistan Railways ran two passenger trains from Quetta to Taftan on a fortnightly basis.
However, goods trains between Quetta and Zahidan would be delayed.
