The Quetta police arrested more than 100 protesters for violating a ban on gatherings, allegedly forcefully shutting down markets and blocking highways, an officer said on Monday.
“More than 100 people were arrested under charges of violating Section 144, forcefully shutting down markets and blocking highways,” Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Baloch told Dawn.com.
The arrests come as six opposition political parties announced a complete wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across Balochistan today to protest against the suicide bombing that targeted a public meeting of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) on Sept 2 and claimed 15 lives.
Police in Quetta fired tear gas to disperse protesters and arrested them, AFP reported. AFP pictures showed people blocking roads by placing stones, which they were also pelting, and burning objects.
At 12pm, the National Highways and Motorways Police said the N-25 highway near Baleli Custom in Quetta was closed due to a “public protest”.
Parts of the N-25 highway, which extends from Karachi to Quetta, were also blocked near Hub and Mastung’s Sona Khan area, the motorway police said in the morning.
The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance — which the PTI, PkMAP and BNP-M are a part of — shared purported pictures on its X account of closed shops in Awaran.
In another post, it claimed that the Western Bypass in Quetta was “completely shut”. “Violence and shelling by the police on PTI workers. The workers are continuing to resist the police shelling,” it added.
The opposition parties had declared that highways, intercity roads and routes leading to Quetta airport and railway station would be blocked during the strike. Other airports in the province would also be shut, they added, urging the business community and transporters to support the strike.
The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with other business associations, had announced the closure of businesses across the province in solidarity with the victims of the suicide bombing. The Private Schools Association also declared that all private schools, colleges, and universities would remain closed.
Last night, the Balochistan government warned protesters of “strict and immediate action” if they tried to disrupt law and order, or block roads and highways.
Fifteen people lost their lives, while 38 were injured in the blast that targeted a rally held at Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium to mark the fourth death anniversary of former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Attaullah Mengal, a veteran nationalist leader and BNP founder.
Subsequently, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai, BNP-M Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, along with leaders of the PTI, Awami National Party (ANP), National Party (NP) and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), had announced the strike at a joint press conference.
Mengal, calling the stadium bombing a “painful and tragic act”, had criticised the state for not fulfilling its “duty” to protect the gathering. Mengal, Achakzai, former NP senator Mir Kabir Muhammad Shahi, and ANP leader Asghar Achakzai had remained unhurt in the suicide attack as they had left the venue just a few minutes before the blast.