QUETTA: Vehicular traffic remained briefly suspended between the border town of Taftan and Quetta on Saturday as workers and supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) blocked the National Highway near Chagai to protest against the hunting of houbara bustard by Arab dignitaries in the area.

The protesters, led by PPP leader Mir Arif Jan Mohammad Hasni, blocked the highway linking Pakistan with Iran by erecting barricades and putting up huge boulders on the road.

Traffic remained suspended for around two hours and a large numbers of vehicles, including passenger buses and trucks carrying import and export goods were stranded, causing trouble to the travellers in the chilly weather that has gripped the area for the last 48 hours.

Addressing the protesters, Mr Hasni and other PPP leaders said the government issued permits to the Arab dignitaries for hunting the rare migratory bird just to serve their interests.

During the hunting, they said, vehicles of the dignitaries and their staff crushed standing crops, causing irreparable damage.

They demanded cancellation of hunting permits issued to the Arabs and warned that PPP workers would otherwise lodge a protest and block the highway for an indefinite period.

Security forces were present to avoid any untoward incident. However, no such incident took place.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2017