QUETTA: Following the Noshki deaths, transporters continued their strike against the government’s decision to erect additional checkpoints on important roads in an effort to ensure passenger safety. As a result, highways in Balochistan remained closed for the tenth day running.
For more than a week, the transporter union has been demonstrating against the province government’s new standard operating procedures, which call for the establishment of security pickets along the Quetta-Taftan and Coastal routes. The attack in Noshki, when nine individuals were kidnapped and executed by gunmen because of their ethnic origin, served as the impetus for the decision.
Despite the provincial ministers’ promises to settle their differences during a meeting on Wednesday, the transporters had gone on strike in protest of this move, closing various highways.
Due to the demonstration, there was no transportation available for individuals to get to their destinations, which caused great distress.
The new SOPs have been rejected by the transporters, who claim that they were created without consulting them. Since their busses were being inspected at each checkpoint, they demanded that the government remove all new checkpoints.
In the evening, Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, Agriculture Minister Ali Madad Jattak, and PPP leader Liaquat Lehri attempted in vain to negotiate with the union leaders. Mr. Langove informed the truckers that the government was in charge of handling their issues. He went on to say that “mutual consultation” may be used to settle the problem.
“We will discuss the transporters’ demands with the chief minister, and the problems they face will then be addressed. The CM would meet the transporters soon, Mr. Jattak promised.
