QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed across Balochistan, including the provincial capital Quetta, on Wednesday, while protest rallies and demonstrations were also held on the call of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) against the police and other law enforcement agencies for raids on religious seminaries.

The call was given by JUI-F Balochistan chief Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey after the party’s provincial chapter decided to protest across the province as well as boycott government functions and meetings until the raids were stopped and the authorities issued an apology for the crackdown.

The Balochistan government has launched a crackdown on unregistered religious seminaries.

All shops, markets, shopping centres, malls, and business establishments remained closed in Quetta throughout the day, while traffic was also thin.

Rallies held on JUI-F’s call across Balochistan against seminary raids

In the morning, some markets and shops were open, but JUI-F workers, carrying sticks, rushed to those areas and forcibly shut them down.

Police arrested around two dozen party workers involved in forcibly shutting down the shops. However, they were later released in the evening.

Maulana Wasey led a protest rally in Qila Saifullah, which turned into a large public gathering after passing through different parts of the city. He later visited Pishin, where another rally was held under the leadership of Maulana Kamal-ud-Din, MPA Asghar Ali, and Syed Zafar Agha, with strong participation from party workers and the general public.

In Quetta, a rally started from the DC office and passed through Shahrah-i-Iqbal and Bacha Khan Chowk before turning into a large gathering at Manan Chowk. The rally was attended by central leader Maulana Salahuddin Ayub, Sen­ator Kamran Murtaza, other provincial leaders, and a large number of people.

Shutdown in other areas

In Ziarat, a rally was led by Haji Dilawar Khan Kakar, where speakers highlighted local issues, including corruption, insecurity, and administrative failure. In Qila Abdullah, people participated in a rally led by Senator Haji Shakoor Khan Ghabizai, Haji Nawaz Khan Kakar, and other JUI-F leaders.

In Khuzdar, a shutter-down strike was observed along with a rally and public gathering led by Maulana Qamar-ud-Din, Maulana Faiz Muhammad, and Mir Younus Aziz Zehri. In Kalat, a rally was organised under the leadership of Maulana Agha Mehmood Shah, while in Mullahkhel, a public gathering was led by Maulana Sarwar Nadeem.

Rallies and protests were also held in Mastung, Nushki, Chaghai, Dalbandin, Panjgur, Awaran, Lasbela, Hub, Duki, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Kachhi, Sibi, Kohlu, and Surab, where people from all walks of life participated in large numbers to express their concerns against the government. Speakers across all districts strongly criticised government policies, highlighting issues such as inflation, corruption, worsening security conditions, and administrative inefficiency, while reaffirming that the JUI-F would continue its struggle for public rights.

Maulana Wasey, while thanking traders, business associations, district leaders, religious scholars, and workers for the successful shutter-down strike and protests, said that the level of public participation was highly encouraging and clearly demonstrated that people were now fully aware of their rights and ready to defend them.

He stressed that the movement was in its early stages and would be taken forward with full commitment. He further announced that on the May 10, supporters from across the province would reach Quetta for a major protest gathering.

Abdul Wahid Shahwani in Khuzdar and Ali Jan Mangi in Nasirabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026