The strike call was given by the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) and supported by other Baloch nationalist parties.
The two students were shot dead by sharp shooters in Khuzdar on Friday night, triggering a fresh wave of protests in parts of central Balochistan.
Strike was observed in the towns of Khuzdar, Nal, Awaran and Turbat where most of the shopping centres and business concerns remained closed throughout the day. These cities wore a deserted look as traffic remained off the roads. Most private educational institutions were closed and attendance was thin at government offices.
In Khuzdar, enraged protesters set a NADRA office on fire and ransacked the offices of the Irrigation and Public Health departments. Records and identity cards at the NADRA office were destroyed in the incident.
In Turbat police baton-charged protesters while they burnt tyres on the Airport Road.
Protesters also set fire to two PTCL cabinets, disrupting the telecommunication system in Malikabad. Authorities had put in place elaborate security arrangements, with police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel patrolling the area.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 13th, 2010.
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