QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in Baloch-dominated districts of Balochistan, as well as the provincial capital Quetta on Saturday to mark the third death anniversary of Baloch nationalist Nawabzada Balach Marri.
Marri, son of veteran Baloch leader Nawab Khair Baksh Marri and a former member of the Balochistan Assembly, was killed in a military operation on November 20, 2007, in a town on the Pak-Afghan border.
The Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Marri gave the strike call, which was supported by all nationalist parties of Balochistan. Businessmen, transporters and shop keepers also responded to the call and stayed away from commercial activity.
In Quetta, all shopping centres and markets in Liaqat Bazaar, and those on Double Road, Jinnah Road, Shara-e-Iqbal, Sariab Road, Prince Road, Joint Road, Brewery Road, Killi Ismail and Hudda remained closed, while little traffic plied the city’s roads during the day.
The city administration had made strict security arrangements and police contingents, backed by Frontier Corps, the Balochistan Constabulary and Anti- Terrorist Force, were deployed across the city.
However, a rocket fired by militants from an unidentified location landed on the roof of a house on Brewery Road, damaging the building, but it caused no loss of life.
Traffic on the highways connecting Quetta to Karachi, Quetta to Taftan and Quetta to Sibi also remained suspended due to a wheel jam strike call. Routine activity also remain suspended in Mastung, Kalat, Nushki, Kechh, Panjgoor, Awaran, Gwadar, Naseerabad, Sibi, Khuzdar, Chaghi, Punjgoor and Kharan.
Activists of Baloch Student Organisation (BSO-Azad) and Baloch Republican Party organised a protest rally in Sibi to mark Marri’s death anniversary. Reports from Naushki said unidentified people opened fire on the tyres of some passenger coaches plying the highway in Mastung and a truck in Nushki district.
