February 03, 2007	Saturday	Muharram 14, 1428

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QUETTA, Feb 2: Police on Friday arrested over two dozen political workers and activists of the Baloch Students Organisation from different areas on charges of blocking the highway at different points and damaging private and government vehicles.

Activists of the BSO in Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Wadh and Hub and blocked the RCD highway putting barricades to protest against the arrest of BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other leaders of the party.According to police, BSO activists pelted vehicles with stones, smashed their windscreens and damaged them.

BSO secretary-general Zakir Majeed said that over two dozen vehicles were damaged while two vehicles were set on fire in Mastung area. He also claimed that traffic remained completely suspended between Quetta and Karachi.

However, official sources said that some groups tried to block the national highway linking Quetta with Karachi at different points but law-enforcement agencies foiled their attempt and restored the traffic at the RCD highway.

They said that police arrested over two dozen political activities from Hub, Kalat and Mastung area for damaging vehicles and blocking the highway.

CONDEMNATION: BNP-M senior vice-president Jehanzeb Khan Jamaldani and Quetta district president Akhtar Hussain Lango have strongly condemned the government for arresting party leaders who have adopted a democratic way to protest against the undemocratic rule of the military regime.

In a joint statement issued here on Friday, they said that BNP-M adopted a democratic way to launch the long-march against the ongoing military operation, killing of Nawab Bugti and arrests of hundreds of political workers and activists in the province.

Denial of political and democratic rights had paved the way for provocation, they said.

They alleged that BNP-M leaders put in different jails of the province were being treated like criminals. “Many of them badly need medical treatment but the government is denying them the facility,” they said and added that Sardar Akhtar Mengal was kept in isolation.