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QUETTA: Traffic on two key highways connecting Balochistan’s capital with Sindh and Iran was finally restored on Monday after successful talks between the authorities and protesters, leading to end of weeklong road blockades.
Traffic on Quetta-Karachi RCD Highway, Quetta-Taftan Highway (in Mastung), Karachi-Panjgur Highway, and Quetta-Sibi Highway had been blocked by protesters or authorities for past several days, primarily for security reasons.
On the RCD Highway, workers and supporters of Balochistan National Party (Mengal) had been holding protests over the issue of enforced disappearances and the registration of a case against over 1,100 party leaders and members, including the son of party president Sardar Akhtar Mengal, at the Wadh police station.
Kalat Commissioner Naeem Bazi led the negotiations from government side with BNP-M president and other leaders in Wadh, the native town of Sardar Mengal. Officials of the Khuzdar administration, including Deputy Commissioner Yasir Iqbal Dashti, and other BNP leaders were also present during the talks that continued till late hours of Sunday night.
Kalat, Mastung administrations hold successful negotiations with BNP-M, other protesters
After successful negotiations, Sardar Akhtar Mengal agreed to end the blocking of Quetta-Karachi highway in the Wadh area and removed barricades and other hurdles to facilitate commuters and transporters to resume their suspended journeys.
Officials said that the Kalat commissioner played an important role in convincing the BNP leadership to end Quetta-Karachi highway blockade and assured him that the issue of FIR registration would be resolved amicably.
The RCD highway had been blocked at three points in the Wadh area — Wheer, Wadh city, and Darakhala — by BNP leaders and traders against the registration of cases.
While the party decided to call off the sit-in and remove barricades from roads, BNP leadership said their protest would continue at the Wadh police station. Subsequently, the BNP-M president, along with his son and hundreds of party workers and supporters, kept sitting at the police station to court arrest.
Meanwhile, traffic between Quetta and Karachi was fully restored as hundreds of trucks, buses and private vehicles that remained stuck for many days resumed their journey.
While relatives of some missing persons also had blocked the highway near Kalat, the district administration, before negotiating with Sardar Akhtar Mengal, successfully managed to get the highway reopened after weeklong closure.
Also, the Mastung administration held talks with the protesters who had placed barricades on the Quetta-Taftan highway at Kirdgab to press the authorities for safe recovery of missing persons, causing suspension of trade with Iran for past nine days.
Similarly, relatives of one, Aqil Baloch, who went missing, have been holding a sit-in on the Panjgur-Karachi Highway for the past two days to press the authorities for his safe recovery.
On the other hand, the Quetta-Sibi Highway was closed in the Bolan area owing to security concerns. However, the administration did not provide any update on its reopening.
The prolonged blockade of highways mainly in the Bolan area led to the shortage of essential food supplies, besides causing difficulties to travellers, thus creating a crisis-like situation in some areas during the holy month of Ramazan.
Public frustration has been growing over the past two months due to frequent road blockades.
Many citizens complained they had failed to get justice or solutions from the government to their grievances after which they resorted to protests by blocking roads and highways. In response, the government repeatedly imposed Section 144 to prevent such demonstrations, but enforcement has been ineffective.
Despite the worsening situation, the government officials issued statements but remained unable to ensure durable peace.
Even after multiple transfers of administrative officers by the Balochistan chief minister, the situation has largely remained unchanged.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025
