Province-wide strike in Balochistan over governor's rule
02 February, 2013
QUETTA: A partial wheel jam and shutter-down strike was observed in different towns and cities of Balochistan on Friday on the call of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and National Awami Party-Awami against the imposition of governor's rule in the province. According to the details, the sacked coalition parties BNP-A and JUI-F resented the governor's rule in Balochistan and called a shutter-down and wheel jam strike across all districts of the province. The shutter-down strike seemed somewhat successful in the provincial capital where the roads presented a deserted look during the early hours of the day, as vehicular traffic remained thin. Several banks and all the big markets and shopping malls remained closed, and some schools declared a public holiday on Friday to avert any unpleasant incident. The employees faced difficulties in getting their salaries, as it was the first day of the month. The banks would remain closed for another two days. The workers of BNP-A and JUI-F were seen forcing shopkeepers to close their shops. However, the administration had taken stringent security measures to thwart any untoward incident. Police arrested as many as 20 persons accused of pelting stones on shops and vehicles. The party workers had also blocked the highways leading to various other parts of the province and the country by setting up barricades, which halted incoming and outgoing traffic in the provincial capital. In Quetta, traffic could be seen on the roads after around 11am; however, the local bus services remained suspended for the entire day. The workers of both BNP-A and JUI-F had blocked the Joint Road, Sariab Road, Alamo Chowk, Nawa Killi, Eastern Bypass, and burnt tyres on the road. There were reports of stone-pelting on rickshaws and other vehicles from the outskirts of the provincial capital. The Balochistan government had taken stringent security measures to prevent any untoward incident, and the security agencies' personnel could be seen patrolling Quetta the entire day. Meanwhile, BNP-A's Dr Nashnas Lehri and Senator Hafiz Ahmedullah alleged that as many as 100 workers of their party were arrested and police had also shelled them. Apart from Quetta, the strike was observed in Killa Saifullah, Killa Abdullah, Chaman, Nushki, Dalbandin, Musakhel, Pishin, Turbat, Muslim Bagh, while in some districts a partial wheel jam strike was observed. The Anjuman-e-Tajiran and various transport associations had detached themselves from the strike. End.
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