Shutter-down strike observed in major parts of Balochistan

Protest called by Baloch National Front against accession of province on March 27, 1948.

QUETTA: A shutter-down and wheel-jam strike was observed in major parts of Balochistan on Thursday as part of a  protest called by  the Baloch National Front (BNF) against what they described as a forced accession of the province to Pakistan on March 27, 1948.

The strike was backed by other Baloch nationalist parties also against the accession.

The strike was observed in Turbat, Mand, Pasni, Panjgur, Chagai, Mastung, Wadh, Khuzdar, Kalat, Naushki, Kharan, Hub and other townships of the province where trade and business activities came to a standstill and shops and offices remained closed for the day.

The streets wore a deserted look with thin traffic plying the road. Stringent security measures were adopted in those districts with the police and security forces deployed in large numbers.

“This is a black day for Baloch history because Balochistan was merged into Pakistan against the will of the Baloch people,” a BNF spokesperson said in a statement.

“Balochistan is a colony and its resources are being plundered and exploited as the West did a century ago,” he added.

The hardline nationalist parties have demanded intervention from the United Nations (UN) and other international humanitarian organisations in regard to resolving the Balochistan issue.