Adhering to what is now become a custom – a complete shutter down strike was observed across Balochistan to mark the death anniversary of slain tribal chieftain and politician Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed along with 30 of his comrades in a military operation in 2006.
Commercial activities came to a standstill and roads were deserted with nearly all public transporters opting to observe the strike. Since no groups were seen trying to coerce people in to observing the strike, the suspension of activities was seen as largely voluntary.
All major shopping centres, commercial establishments, business houses and even some pharmacies remained shut in the provincial capital. Even vendors and push-cart owners observed the strike as there were no customers to tend to.
Major roads that portrayed a marked difference in traffic flow were Jinnah Road, Saryab Road, Liaquat Bazaar and Suraj Ganj Bazaar.
The strike call was made by the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and supported by the Balochistan National Party (BNP), National Party, different factions of Jamhoori Watan Party, Baloch National Front, Baloch National Voice, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and various traders’ unions. The parties observed the strike to protest the arbitrary military operation against Bugti, demanding that his killers be brought to justice.
The Jamhoori Watan Party-Hali also staged a demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club against the government’s inaction over nabbing those accused of Bugti’s murder. Protesters carrying placards shouted slogans and demanded immediate remedial action.
No untoward incident was reported till the filing of this report and heavily armed contingents of police and Frontier Corps patrolled the streets of Quetta throughout the day.
According to reports from different parts of the province, the strike was also successful in Mastung, Kalat, Surab, Dalbandin, Jaffarabad, Sibi and other areas of Balochistan.
People in these areas paid rich tributes to the deceased leader, belying the earlier impression that violence would ensue if everyone did not adhere to the strike call.
Condolence call
Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti, chief of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), has said his grandfather laid his life for the rights of people of Balochistan and did not surrender before a dictator.
“We have to follow his policies and jointly struggle to achieve our rights,” he told a condolence reference via telephone from Switzerland.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.
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"It is ironic that neither the Baloch nationalists nor Islamabad could fully understand the Nawab’s politics. Both sides take extreme, and oftentimes unrealistic, positions while interpreting Bugti’s political life.
For some, he is an unquestionable hero and for the rest he is known solely as a tyrant tribal chief who opposed development of his own area and tribesmen.
Nobody is willing to admit that he was a human being like rest of us who made mistakes but also offered invaluable contributions to the society."
http://www.thebalochhal.com/2012/08/editorial-understanding-bugtis-legacy/