QUETTA:
Police in Quetta and several other districts of Balochistan detained more than 200 opposition party workers and leaders on Monday in a day-long crackdown linked to recent protest demonstrations.
In Quetta alone, over 100 people were taken into custody from Sariab, Brewery, Airport Road, Bypass, and other parts of the city.
Those detained included senior figures from different parties, such as Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Qahar Khan Wadan, Balochistan National Party’s Malik Naseer Shahwani and Tahir Shahwani and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Syed Agha.
Similar actions were reported across several districts. In Sorab, BNP district president Abdul Latif and three supporters were picked up for blocking the QuettaKarachi highway.
In Mastung, BNP’s Haji Anwar Mengal and National Party’s Mir Sikandar Mulazai were among 14 arrested.
Seven workers from ANP and PkMAP were rounded up in Loralai, while eight others, including senior members of the National Party and BNP, were held in Jaffarabad.
Police also confirmed nine arrests in Nasirabad, 16 in Duki, including PTI district general secretary Majeed Nasir, four in Sanjavi and several more in Kalat. In Chaman, around 15 workers of PkMAP were detained.
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arrests were prompted after protesters allegedly threw stones at vehicles and attempted to force shopkeepers to close their businesses.
However, opposition leaders strongly rejected this explanation.
At a press conference, a Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader accused police of using tear gas and batons “without provocation” against workers he insisted were engaged in a peaceful protest.
“The right to protest is being denied by the authorities,” he said.
The sweeping arrests come amid heightened political tensions in Balochistan following the recent suicide bombing near Shuhada Stadium in Quetta, which claimed several lives and triggered fresh demonstrations across the province.
