QUETTA: A sit-in on Quetta’s Airport Road restarted on Monday morning as protesters renewed their demand for the safe recovery of local residents abducted during a deadly attack in the Hanna Urak area, prompting the Balochistan government to announce a series of security and administrative measures.
The protest disrupted traffic on one of the city’s main roads, with demonstrators insisting they would continue their sit-in until the abducted residents were safely recovered and those responsible for the attack were brought to justice.
The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting on law and order chaired by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. The meeting approved the launch of a sanitization operation against terrorists in Hanna Urak and adjoining areas and decided to establish a joint security checkpost in the area with immediate effect.
According to an official statement, the joint checkpost became operational on Monday and will be jointly manned by all relevant law enforcement agencies to strengthen security and prevent future attacks.
The provincial government also constituted a high-level committee, headed by Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove and Provincial Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar, to hold immediate talks with protesters, tribal elders, elected representatives and other stakeholders in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Bugti said security forces would continue operations against terrorists and their facilitators without discrimination, adding that “there will be no compromise on the writ of the state.” He said financial assistance and compensation for the families of those killed and other affected people would begin within the next two days.
The chief minister said peaceful protest is the constitutional right of every citizen and assured that the government would take practical steps to address the concerns of demonstrators. He also praised the residents and tribes of Hanna Urak for what he described as their brave resistance against the attackers, calling terrorism a shared challenge for both Balochistan and Pakistan that requires a united national response.
The violence erupted on Sunday evening when armed men attacked the outskirts of Hanna Urak, leading to an exchange of fire with local tribesmen. The incident left several local residents dead and others wounded, while the attackers allegedly abducted a number of residents before fleeing. Security forces, including the Frontier Corps, Counter Terrorism Department and police, launched a search and clearance operation that remains underway.
Following the attack, local residents blocked Airport Road and staged a sit-in, causing major traffic disruptions and leaving commuters and tourists travelling to Hanna Urak stranded for hours.
On Sunday night, Home Minister Ziaullah Langove visited the affected area and met tribal elders and local youth in Killi Babri, where he assured them that a joint security checkpost would be established. Separately, Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail condemned the attack, expressed condolences over the loss of lives, and directed the relevant authorities to ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible and bring them to justice.
