QUETTA: Rail and road traffic in Balochistan remained suspended for hours on Monday as a complete wheel-jam strike was observed across the province on a joint call of political parties, traders and civil society against the abduction of a 10-year-old schoolboy.

All government and private schools, colleges and universities in Quetta and other parts of the province remained closed, while several cases including the one pertaining to student’s abduction scheduled for the day could not be heard in the Balochistan High Court due to the absence of judges.

In Balochistan Assembly, opposition lawmakers raised the issue of the kidnapping and criticised the government, particularly law enforcement agencies, for their failure in safe recovery of the child despite the passage of 10 days.

While talking to reporters outside the provincial assembly building, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, however, claimed that the government and its forces were using all available resources for the early recovery of the kidnapped student. He expressed regret over the kidnapping.

Protesters seek child’s recovery as schools, colleges stay shut; courts, roads remain deserted

The 10-year-old son of a jeweller was kidnapped on his way to school in a van. Armed men intercepted the vehicle near his home in the Patel Bagh area and abducted him on Nov 15.

In Quetta, the provincial president of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Nasarullah Zerey, along with leaders of the multiparty alliance, representatives of the business community had announced last week that a strike would be observed across the province to press the authorities for immediate and safe recovery of the child.

All roads and highways linking Balochistan with Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province were blocked on Monday as protesters placed barricades and boulders at the entry points of Hub, Barkhan, Danasar, Dera Allahyar, Khuzdar, Chaman, Loralai and other areas.

In response to the protest call, transporters did not ply buses, coaches, goods trucks and other vehicles on roads across Balochistan. In Quetta, too, a wheel-jam strike was observed as vehicles remained off road throughout the day. There was no traffic even on the city outskirts.

Also, the Quetta-Chaman passenger train was cancelled by the railway authorities. “There was no train service between Quetta and border town Chaman due to wheel jam strike,” a senior railway official said.

However, no untoward incident was reported from any area during the province-wide protest, as strict security arrangements were made by the authorities in Quetta and other areas, with deployment of heavy contingents of police, levies and Frontier Corps.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2024