QUETTA: Balochistan remained lower off from the remainder of the nation on Tuesday as all nationwide highways had been blocked in help of merchants and every day wagers who’ve been protesting in Chaman for seven months in opposition to the border closure and imposition of one-document regime for motion between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The decision to dam highways was given Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), a six-party opposition alliance, in help of the individuals of Chaman sit-in which has been persevering with since October final yr, demanding withdrawal of the situation of border crossing between the 2 neighbouring international locations by means of passport and visa.
The protestors’ fundamental demand is the withdrawal of the brand new regulation and resumption of the outdated system which allowed journey on Pakistani Nationwide Id Card and Afghan ID card, known as Teskera.
All highways, together with Quetta-Chaman, Quetta-Zhob, Quetta-Dera Ghazi Khan and Quetta-Karachi and roads linking Balochistan with Karachi, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained closed at completely different factors.
TTAP employees and supporters put barricades and massive boulders on the highways, suspending every kind of visitors between Balochistan and different provinces.
A whole lot of autos, together with passenger coaches, buses and vehicles loaded with import and export items remained stranded on the highways and roads.
The Afghan transit commerce has already been suspended because the Quetta-Chaman freeway linking Quetta with Kandahar has remained blocked for the final two weeks and the protesters aren’t permitting any truck and massive automobile to cross between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A whole lot of vehicles carrying Afghan transit commerce items had been stranded on either side of the border.
The highways and roads remained closed until Tuesday night. The individuals touring in passenger coaches, together with girls and youngsters, had confronted nice difficulties within the extraordinarily scorching climate.
Nevertheless, the TTAP employees and supporters eliminated the barricades and builders from the highways and roads within the night time and restored the visitors.
No untoward incident was reported from any space of Balochistan through the blocking of highways and roads.
Printed in Daybreak, Could twenty second, 2024