Quetta wears deserted look; attendance in government offices remains thin; fewer vehicles seen on roads
By Mohammad Zafar
QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed across Balochistan on Saturday against the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly the rising incidents of abductions and targeted killings, in the province.
The strike called by the All-Parties Coordination Committee (APCC), an alliance of nationalist parties, traders and lawyers, received a tremendous response from citizens from all parts of the province.
In Quetta, trade and commercial activities remained paralysed on Saturday as most of the shopping and trading centres situated at Liaquat Bazaar, Jinnah Road, Joint Road, Sirki Road, Prince Road, Suraj Ganj Bazaar, Kandahari Bazaar, Saryab Road, Masjid Road, Mission Road, Fatima Jinnah Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Alamdar Road and Double Road were seen closed due to the strike. Participation of the shopkeepers in the strike was voluntary because not a single worker from any political party asked them (shopkeepers) to close their businesses for the day. Law enforcement agencies, including the Balochistan Constabulary, police, Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) and Frontier Corps, were put on high alert to avert any untoward incident. The commercial areas in the provincial capital wore a deserted look. Attendance in government offices, including the Civil Secretariat, remained thin as public servants preferred to stay at home. Fewer vehicles were seen plying on main roads in Quetta.
The strike was also observed in Chaman, Qilla Abdullah, Khuchlak, Pishin, Naushki, Kharan, Duki, Loralai, Harnai, Zhob, Mastung, Dalbandin, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Muslim Bagh, Sinjavi, Khuzdar, Sibi and other areas of Balochistan.
Meanwhile, the APCC has called another strike on March 15. The committee has warned that if concrete steps are not taken to maintain peace in the province, it will compel the government to concede to its just demand – protection of life and property of every citizen.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C03%5C13%5Cstory_13-3-2011_pg7_2
No comments:
Post a Comment