KABUL’s southwestern Balochistan province was paralysed by a strike on Friday, a day after the killing of nine members of the minority Hazara community.
Markets and shops in Quetta were closed in response to the strike call from the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) and the Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimin (MWM), Pakistani media reported.
On Thursday, militants opened fire at a passenger bus, killing the Hazara men. Hours later, a suicide attack on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman left two people dead and over two dozen others injured.
Organisers of the protest accused the provincial government of having failed to protect the lives of citizens. They called for effective measures to protect members of the Hazara community in the city.
Dawn reported as residents stayed indoors due to fear of untoward incidents, the flow of traffic remained thin on roads. Security personnel were deployed to all sensitive parts of Quetta.
In raids in different parts of Quetta, 30 suspects have been detained in the aftermath of the terrorist incidents. “We have recovered weapons from some of the suspects,” one police official told the newspaper.
PAN Monitor/mud
