GWADAR: Protests against the alleged forced disappearance of two youngsters have shut down the road connecting Gwadar and other Makran division regions with Karachi and other cities for more than 48 hours.
For the past two days, residents and the relatives of the victims have stopped the M-8 motorway and the coastal route, demanding Zakir Abdul Razzaq and Lala Rafique’s return.
Numerous cars are stuck on both sides of the coastal route due to a blockage at Zero Point of the Turbat-Gwadar-Nalent link road.
For the past 48 hours, passengers on coaches and buses have been dealing with extreme hardships while they wait for the highway to be restored.
The land connection between Gwadar, Karachi, Pasni, Ormara, and Iran has been cut off due to road closures.
Furthermore, there is now a scarcity of basic goods in Gwadar and Turbat.
Leaders in the business sector and traders are concerned that if the roads are not opened, the shortage would get worse.
Negotiations between the district administration and the protestors have not yet produced results since the heirs of the missing persons have refused to allow the highway to be opened until their loved ones have returned.
Both routes will be closed indefinitely until their demands are fulfilled, according to the demonstrators who have set up camp near the highway.
Seated at the camp with banners and placards in hand are protestors, women and children from all across Gwadar and beyond.
According to the men’s relatives, three months ago, security personnel forcibly removed the two guys, and it is still unclear where they are now.
They continued by saying that although officials had informed them, the two guys will be freed in ten days, that hasn’t happened.
The demonstrators requested that if the two men had committed any crimes, they should be brought before a judge and punished accordingly. Balochistan National Party-Awami Central Secretary General Saeed Faiz and Haq Do Tehreek Chairman Hussain Wadila have also visited the protest site and shown support for the families.
