GWADAR: A complete strike was observed in Makran division on Friday in protest against the suspension of power supply for the past two weeks.

The call for the strike was given by the National Party. All bazaars, shopping centres, business establishments, private banks and shops remained closed in Turbat, Gwadar, Pasni, Panjgur, Jewani and Ormara throughout the day.

Protesters staged a sit-in on the Coastal Highway, suspending all kinds of traffic. They put barricades and boulders on the highway linking Makran with Karachi and other areas of Balochistan.

The port city of Gwadar remained cut off from other areas of the Makran division. Women blocked the Quetta-Karachi National Highway in the industrial town of Hub. Hundreds of vehicles, including coaches, buses, trucks and private cars, were stranded at different places, causing great difficulties to the people, including women and children, traveling in coaches and other vehicles.

Members of the civil society and hundreds of other people carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands marched on roads in Gwadar. They chanted slogans against the government and the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco).

The protesters later staged a sit-in outside the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. They lashed out at the government and the authorities concerned for not taking steps to restore the power supply which was suspended from Iran to all three districts of the Makran division — Panjgur, Turbat and Gwadar.

Qesco officials said the power supply had been suspended because of a fault in the main transmission line linking Makran with Iran.

The protesters said that despite the protest no efforts had been made to remove the fault in the transmission line.

The strike will continue on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2018