Shahzain’s arrest: Quetta shuts down on JWP’s call

Court permits family and counsel to meet Shahzain in police custody.

QUETTA: A shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta on Friday in response to a call made by the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) to protest the arrest of its provincial chief Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti.

The JWP has also refused to accept the joint investigation team formed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and demanded that the Supreme Court should probe the matter.

Most trading and shopping centrs on Jinnah Road, Saryab Road, Joint Road, Zarghoon Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Liaquat Bazar, Prince Road and adjoining areas remained closed for the day.

However, it was business as usual for restaurants and eateries as well as chemists. Traffic also remained thin on roads. Police arrested nine activists from different parts of Quetta who they said were caught forcing shopkeepers to close shop.

A sub machine gun, hand gun and two vehicles were recovered from them, police said.

Stringent security measures were adopted in the city to avoid any untoward incident. Police and Frontier Corps (FC) patrolled different areas of the city and also conducted snap checking.

Meanwhile, the judge of Anti-Terrorism Court-1, Quetta, Muhammad Ismail, granted permission to Shahzain’s family members and his lawyer to meet him in police custody.

The judge also directed police authorities that his family members be allowed to provide him medicine and food. Permission was granted on an application filed by Advocate Mukaish Kohli, who appeared before the court.

In his petition, Kohli said that he was not allowed to visit his client and neither were Shazain’s family members being permitted to see him.

Public prosecutor Zahid Ali Khan submitted that he has no objection if Kohli and Shahzain’s mother, wife and three-year-old daughter are permitted to visit him.

Shahzain Bugti is the grandson of late Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

He was arrested by FC personnel on Wednesday, who found a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including anti aircraft guns, in his convoy. Shahzain, who is in custody, has, denied the charges.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2010.