QUETTA, Feb 12: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan on the call of the alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties and the Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) on Saturday.

Police arrested around two dozen workers and activists of different political parties for forcing the people to close down their shops and business.

The strike call, supported by many other opposition parties, was aimed, according to them, against the deployment of army in Sui, the expected military operation, displacement of local people from Sui, anti-Baloch mega-development projects, ignorance of the government regarding huge losses incurred by the people due to an eight-year-long drought and merger of levies into police in Balochistan.

All shopping malls, business centres, and bazaars remained closed in Quetta and other towns and cities of the province throughout the day.

It was for the first time that during the strike all hotels, restaurants, medical stores, vegetable and meat shops, and bakeries remained closed throughout the day.

The people, especially tourists, faced great difficulties due to the closure of restaurants and hotels.

The people also faced problems due to the closure of medical stores as a result of which no medicines could be available throughout the day.

Vehicular traffic also remained thin as most of the vehicles remained off the roads while attendance was poor in all offices, including government departments. However, banks continued their business without any interruption.

A spokesman of the PMAP claimed that the business community responded positively to the call of the alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties to denounce government policies regarding Balochistan.

He condemned the arrest of the leaders and workers of the alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties and the PMAP during the strike terming it unjustified. He demanded that they should be released without any delay.

The political activists were arrested from various areas for forcing the people to close down their shops.

"We have arrested 22 people, belonging to different parties, who were forcing the people for a shutter-down strike," the DIG, Quetta, Rafi Pervez Bhatti, told Dawn.

Reports coming from the interior of the province say that complete strike was also observed in Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Sibi, Dera Bugtim Sui, Usta Mohammad, Dera Murad Jamali, Nushki, Awaran, Kharan, Turbat, Panjgur, Chaman, Ziarat, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Loralai and many others towns of Balochistan.

The alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties and the PMAP leaders held a joint meeting on Saturday and reviewed the overall situation during the strike.