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QUETTA: Despite passage of over a week, the workers and supporters of various political parties have refused to abandon their protest against alleged rigging in the elections, and called for a wheel jam strike across Balochistan on Sunday.
The sit-ins being staged in Quetta, Dera Murad Jamali and other towns entered the 8th day on Friday. Hundreds of workers and supporters of various parties, including a large number of women, are participating in the sit-in.
Highways, which remained blocked for over a week, have been reopened allowing the traffic to Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, Quetta-Chaman and Quetta-Taftan highways remain closed at different points causing difficulties to travellers.
Leaders of the four-party alliance comprising Baloch, Pashtoon and Hazara parties have announced that a public meeting would be held in front of the office of the district returning officer, Quetta, on Saturday (today). Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Dr Malik Baloch, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Abdul Khaliq Hazara and other leaders of different political parties will address the rally.
Four-party alliance calls for strike today
Central leaders of the alliance, including Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, secretary general of PkMAP, Haji Fida Hussain Dashti of the Hazara Democratic Party, Khalid Chengezi, Haji Abdul Samad Rind, Asmat Yari and Murtaza Sultan were present at the sit-in camp on the occasion.
The alliance leaders rejected the results of the elections.
“People from all walks of life and political workers have rejected the results of the elections not only in Balochistan but also in other parts of the country,” Mr Ziaratwal said, adding that protest would continue until the “original elected members are announced”.
The Election Commission of Pakistan bears the responsibility to announce transparent results according to Form-45, he added. He noted that large-scale protests against the election results have been continuing nationwide.
He regretted that some influential individuals had corrupted the entire election process by taking heavy bribes, adding that action must be initiated against such elements because their act had reduced the exercise to a mockery of people and democracy.
The leaders also condemned the action of the agencies against the workers and supporters. They regretted that assemblies are being filled with representatives of drug mafias and smugglers, which would distort the face of democracy.
It may be mentioned that workers and supporters of PPP, which is not part of the alliance, were also protesting in Dera Allahyar highway areas against the change of the result of PPP candidate Baba Ghulam Rasool.
Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024
