QUETTA: Protest sit-ins and rallies continued in various areas of the province, including the provincial capital Quetta, on Thursday against alleged election rigging.

However, the national highways, which had been blocked for the last six days, causing Balochistan’s isolation from other provinces, were reopened, restoring traffic. Inter-provincial roads were also reopened in the province.

“Our protest will continue against the alleged rigging, but we have opened highways considering the difficulties facing the people,” said a leader of a protesting party, adding that no roads are blocked now.

However, according to reports, Jamhoori Watan Party workers and supporters blocked the Quetta-Jacobabad highway late in the evening, placing barricades and boundaries on the road.

Highways reopened after six days; Achakzai urges public unity for national development

A protest rally was held on Thursday in the provincial capital on the call of four nationalist parties — Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Hazara Democratic Party, Balochistan National Party-Mengal, and National Party.

The rally was led by the alliance’s leaders expressing resentment against what they called depriving elected candidates of their victory through result changes.

Workers and supporters of all four parties in the alliance gathered in front of the office of district returning officer (DRO), Quetta, where a week-long protest sit-in continued.

They marched on various roads and streets of Quetta carrying party flags, placards, and banners inscribed with their demands. Participants of the rally chanted slogans against the Election Commission of Pakistan and the caretaker government, alleging that the rigging plan was prepared before the elections.

After marching on the roads, the protest rally concluded in front of the DRO Quetta office, where alliance party leaders announced that their protest would continue until the actual results of the elected candidates were restored.

They declared that a wheel jam strike would be observed in the next phase across the province, and other options would be adopted to protest against the alleged rigging in the elections.

Leaders and workers of the PkMAP also staged a sit-in in front of the office of the Provincial Election Commission, during which traffic was suspended on Zarghoon road for several hours.

Protests were also reported in Dera Murad Jamali, Turbat, Panjgur, and Gwadar. However, the coastal and CPEC highways were opened in Makran, after which traffic between Gwadar and Karachi was restored.

Achakzai rejects election disruption calls

Meanwhile, Balochistan caretaker minister for information, Jan Achakzai, in a statement issued late evening urged people to reject calls for disruption from candidates and parties who were unsuccessful in the recent elections.

Instead, he encouraged citizens to join the government in its efforts to promote national development and prosperity.

Mr Achakzai emphasised that creating chaos and blocking roads are not solutions to existing problems. He characterised such actions as attempts by “rejected individuals” to mask their disappointment with the electoral outcome. He advised those with genuine concerns to seek legal recourse rather than resorting to disruptive protests.

Furthermore, the minister appealed to individuals blocking roads to consider the impact on ordinary citizens.

He urged them to demonstrate peacefully on the side of the road, allowing for unimpeded traffic flow, if their intentions are truly focused on public well-being. While acknowledging the democratic right to peaceful protest, he warned that obstructing roads and disregarding the law would not be tolerated for long. Such actions, he stated, undermine law and order and disrupt normal life for all.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2024