QUETTA; Police arrested more than 100 protesters on Monday in the provincial capital for defying a ban on gatherings, forcefully shutting markets, and blocking highways, officials said.
“Over 100 individuals were detained on charges of violating Section 144, forcibly closing markets, and obstructing highways,” Quetta SSP Muhammad Baloch told newsmen.
The arrests came as six opposition parties staged a province-wide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike to protest a deadly suicide bombing at a Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally in Quetta on September 2, which left 15 people dead.
According to AFP, police used tear gas to disperse crowds in Quetta before making arrests. Images showed demonstrators blocking roads with stones, burning objects, and pelting stones at security forces.
Around midday, motorway police reported that the N-25 highway near Baleli Customs in Quetta had been closed due to public protests. Other parts of the N-25, stretching from Karachi to Quetta, were also blocked near Hub and Mastung’s Sona Khan area earlier in the day.
The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance, which includes the PTI, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and BNP-M, posted images on its X account showing shuttered shops in Awaran. In another update, it claimed that Quetta’s Western Bypass was “completely closed,” alleging police violence and shelling against PTI workers, who continued to resist.
Opposition leaders had vowed that highways, intercity roads, and routes leading to Quetta’s airport and railway station would remain blocked as part of the strike. They also announced plans to shut other airports in Balochistan, urging traders and transporters to join the protest.
Business and educational bodies lent their support, with the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, various trade associations, and the Private Schools Association declaring the closure of shops, markets, schools, colleges, and universities across the province.
On Sunday night, the Balochistan government had warned demonstrators of “strict and immediate action” if they attempted to disrupt public order or block transport routes.
The September 2 suicide bombing targeted a BNP-M rally at Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium held to mark the fourth death anniversary of Sardar Attaullah Mengal, former Balochistan chief minister and veteran nationalist leader.
Fifteen people were killed and 38 wounded in the attack. BNP-M Chief Akhtar Mengal, PkMAP Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai, former NP senator Mir Kabir Muhammad Shahi, and ANP leader Asghar Achakzai had left the venue minutes before the blast and escaped unharmed.
Following the attack, Mengal condemned it as a “painful and tragic act” and criticised the state for failing to protect the gathering. He, along with Achakzai and leaders of PTI, ANP, NP, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), announced the province-wide strike at a joint press conference.
