QUETTA, July 22: A heavy contingent of police surrounded the main office of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and refused to allow members party workers to take out a procession on Thursday against the rise in robbery incidents in the city but later permitted them to hold a rally near the party's secretariat.
Police officer Shakeel Ahmed told journalists that the party had not obtained permission from the district nazim to take out a procession but PMAP's parliamentary leader in the provincial assembly Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal insisted that the party had sent a letter to the Nazim on July 16 seeking permission.
The police blocked Jinnah Road and Shara-i-Adalat barring the people from entering the road leading towards the PMAP office but later the Nazim and police allowed protestors to hold a rally.
Party activists chanted slogans against police-robbers nexus, the 'Mullah-Military' alliance and inefficient provincial government.
Mr Ziaratwal alleged that robbers enjoyed police's backing and cited several incidents of robbery in Muslimabad, Chaman Housing Scheme, Killi Shabo and other areas and said that a man, Abdul Wahab. had been killed after he offered resisted the burglary attempt.
He criticized the provincial government, especially targeting the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's coalition partner of the government that the alliance had failed to fulfil its pre-election promises about protecting the people's life and property.
He berated MMA's ministers for not taking out a procession to condemn the attempt on the life of the alliance's provincial chief, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani.
PMAP's parliamentary leader alleged a nexus between burglars and police and said that police officers were given share in the booty looted from the people's homes.
Rahim Ziaratwal said that lawlessness was causing a sense of insecurity among the people in the city, adding that the party would frustrate the burglary attempts and protect the life and property of people in Quetta and other areas of the province.
He said that the Levies system in rural areas was running far better than the police stations, adding that only 400 cases had been registered in areas controlled by Levies covering about 95 percent area of Balochistan while 2,700 cases had been filed in Quetta city alone.
MPA Naseem Turyala, Yousuf Khan Kakar, Nasrullah Zeray, William Barkat, and Qadir Agha also spoken on the occasion.