QUETTA: A shutter down strike was observed in different areas of Balochistan on the call of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal against the provincial government on Monday for blocking roads to restrict marchers’ entry to Quetta from Lakpass, and the arrest of BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and other female activists.

The protesters, who had planned a long march from Wadh to Quetta, were holding a sit-in near the Lakpass area for the last 11 days where the authorities had deployed heavy security and closed the tunnel linking Quetta with Kalat and Rakhshan divisions.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal was also warned by the authorities that he along with other protesters would be arrested under Maintenance of Public Order if they entered the limits of Quetta district, where Section 144 had been imposed to ban gatherings.

According to the BNP leaders, a strike was observed in most parts of Balochistan. They also claimed four party workers were injured by police firing in Wadh.

Party leader claims four workers injured by police; 70 picked up and four jailed

In Quetta, a partial strike was observed by the business community as bazaars, shopping malls, business centres and markets remained opened in the main commercial areas, while jewellery market in Liaquat Bazaar was shut. All shops on Sariab, Brewery Road, Qambrani, Sabzal Road, eastern and western bypass were closed.

Business activities also remained suspended in Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Noshki, Kharan, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamal, Dalbandin, Bela, Uthal, Hub, Turbat, Panjgur and Gwadar.

The Quetta-Karachi and Quetta-Taftan highways remained closed as the party workers staged sit-in at various places. Traffic has been suspended for past one week due to the BNP sit-in near Lakpass.

Meanwhile, the BNP-M senior vice president Sajid Tareen alleged that security forces in a crackdown in Quetta arrested around 70 party workers and put 13 of them in jail under MPO, besides leaving four injured in Wadh.

“Four people belonging to the BNP-M were seriously injured when security forces opened fire on the protesters in Wadh,” Mr Tareen told a press conference in the evening.

Agha Hassan Baloch, Malik Naseer Shahwani, Ghulam Nabi Marri, Musa Baloch and Wahid Baloch accompanied Mr Tareen at the presser.

Mr Tareen said that BNP’s peaceful march was scheduled to reach Quetta on Sunday, but blocked by heavy deployment of forces at Lakpass, and in an ensuing crackdown 70 youth were arrested — two of whom, Saifullah and Usama, were injured. Since the detainees had not been informed of the charges against them or provided MPO orders, he said, legal battle would be fought in court against the authorities.

Referring to Wadh, he claimed that four individuals were critically injured due to direct firing by security forces. FIRs have reportedly been registered against BNP-M workers and leaders in Dera Murad Jamali, Sibi, Noshki, and Qila Saifullah.

He accused the government of suppressing democratic voices instead of listening to them and reiterated that BNP-M would continue its protest until all demands were met. He thanked the political parties, traders, and tribal elders who supported their protest. He claimed that despite four contacts from the National Assembly speaker with the BNP-M president, no resolution has been reached. “We are also unaware of which of our demands the chief minister claims to have accepted,” he added.

In response to a query, he confirmed that NA speaker contacted Sardar Mengal four times, talks yielded no results. “At first, we were told to hold our rally in Shahwani Stadium, but when we insisted on a sit-in protest, they cited security threats and refused permission.”

He labelled the government’s negotiation efforts as mere delaying tactics, saying every meeting ended with empty promises.

Mr Tareen said the government had issued arrest orders for Sardar Akhtar Mengal but said the party would ensure “no reaction” until the arrest. However, “when the public stands with us, how we can prevent their reaction?” he questioned.

He expressed concerns over judicial independence, claiming that “after the 26th Amendment, people feel courts have been restrained.”

Behram Baloch, Abdul Wahid Shahwani and Ali Jan Mangi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2025