QUETTA: Opposition lawmakers of the Balochistan Assembly staged a walkout from the assembly session on Friday against the kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl, Bibi Asma, in Khuzdar.
The Balochistan Awami Party leader and MPA, Agha Umar Ahmedzai, took up the issue on a point of order and said unidentified armed men barged into Asma’s house and kidnapped her.
He condemned the incident and said the girl was kidnapped after her family rejected a marriage proposal by a man. Mr Ahmedzai said the family members have informed tribal elders about the incident.
“The girl was subjected to violence before being forcibly taken away”, the MPA said while quoting family members.
Highway blocked as victim’s family holds sit-in
Members of other political parties and provincial ministers also condemned the kidnapping and said the government should protect people.
The former chief minister of Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, who also heads the National Party, also condemned the incident.
Following the speeches, opposition members from various political parties staged a walkout in protest against the incident.
However, the opposition members later returned at the request of ministers and MPAs.
Provincial Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani condemned the kidnapping and assured the lawmakers that the government would address the matter.
Highway blocked
Meanwhile, the Quetta-Karachi National Highway remained blocked for the second consecutive day as protesters continued their sit-in to protest the abduction.
The victim’s family and locals have blocked the N-25 Highway at two key locations, Jhalawan Sabzal Mandi and Zero Point, bringing traffic to a standstill.
They have vowed to continue the protest until Asma’s recovery.
Khuzdar SSP Javed Zehri led multiple rounds of negotiations with protesters but to no avail.
The victim’s family has accused some influential people of backing the kidnappers, claiming that despite the identification of suspects, law-enforcement agencies have taken no action against them.
Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2025
