Balochistan shut on Bugti’s death anniversary

Militants tried to attack a police vehicle in Dera Bugti.

QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in major parts of Balochistan on Tuesday to mark the eighth death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti. As a result, trade and business activities came to a halt throughout the province.

The strike was called by the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Baloch National Front (BNF), Baloch National Council (BNC) and Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP). The PML-N, BNP-M and student organisations supported the strike.

Meanwhile, in Dera Bugti, militants tried to attack a police vehicle. No one was hurt in the attack. The Baloch Republican Army claimed responsibility for the attack. The Balochistan government adopted strict security measures across the province with a huge deployment of Frontier Corps (FC) troops, local police, and contingents of the Balochistan Constabulary and Balochistan Levies.

According to a statement by the Balochistan Home Department, security personnel patrolled all sensitive areas to maintain public order.

“There has been no progress in the investigation and not a single person who was accused has been charged,” Sohail Rajput, Jamil Bugti’s lawyer told journalists in Quetta.

He added that a thorough investigation into the Bugti murder case could have improved the situation in Balochistan. However, the government did not conduct a detailed probe into the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2014.