Protests over BNP leader’s slaying

Partial strike observed in Quetta, all businesses and trading centres remain closed in Khuzdar, Kalat, Surab, Sibi.

QUETTA: Several districts of the province protested the killing of Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s (BNP-M) senior leader Nooruddin Mengal on Friday.

A strike, which was called by the BNP-M, was partially observed in Quetta while all businesses and trading centres remained close in Khuzdar, Kalat, Surab, Sibi and many other areas. Most streets and roads in these areas remained deserted while educational institutions were also closed for the day.

Strict security measures had been put in place and no unpleasant incident occurred in any part of the province. According to a press release, a spokesperson for BNP-M claimed that police rounded up several party workers, including the president of BNP-M’s Quetta chapter, owing to the strike call. The party has also accused government functionaries of target killing of BNP leaders in order to eliminate them from the political arena.

The press statement further said that the success of the strike proved that BNP had full support of the Baloch people. “The rulers and establishment are trying to create panic among the BNP leaders in order to keep them away from the struggle for self-determination,” it stated.

Mengal was assassinated by unidentified men in Kalat district on Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2010.