QUETTA, July 6: Traders and businessmen on Sunday observed a strike here to protest against the brutal incident in which 53 people had lost their lives.

Shops in Liaquat, Kandahari and Suraj Ganj bazaars as well as along Prince Road, Jinnah Road, Masjid Road, Mission Road remained closed despite relaxation in the curfew hours between 9am and 6pm. The call for strike was extended by various traders’ organizations.

Shops, hotels, grocery stores and meat market had opened earlier during the nine-hour-long curfew relaxation but were closed down at around 2pm on rumours suggesting that clashes had occurred in various areas of the city and that the curfew relaxation had been withdrawn.

People panicked and started running seeking security, resulting in collision between many vehicles necessitating the army troops and personnel of other law enforcement agencies to rush and assure that no such incident had occurred anywhere in Quetta.

Army officers, using public address system, announced that curfew relaxation had not been withdrawn and would continue without any interruption till 6pm. By then only a few shops had remained open but nobody could be seen out in the streets as people preferred to stay inside the safety of their homes.

No violence was reported during the nine-hour-long curfew relaxation from any part of the city.