Strike in Balochistan against killing of BRP leader

QUETTA - Several cities and towns in Balochistan closed on Sunday in response to a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike call given by the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) in protest against the murder of Mureed Bugti a central leader of party.
The call was also supported by other Baloch nationalist parties.
Mureed Bugti was shot dead along with his cousin on Friday in Sindh. The BRP had announced a three-day mourning period across Balochistan and had alleged security forces and followers of Bugti tribe chief Mir Aali Bugti are responsible for the killing.
A partial strike was observed in provincial capital as shops, business centres and markets at Jinnah Road, Liaquet Bazaar, Abdul Sattar Road and Shara-e-Iqbal remained opened. However, business activities in Baloch populated areas including Sariab Road, Brewery Road, Joint Road, Hudda, Killi Ismail and Sabzal Road were remained closed. The traffic was witnessed in the city plying on different roads.
Meanwhile, the administration had taken foolproof security measures in the provincial capital and police backed by Frontier Corps, Baloch Constabulary and Anti-Terrorist Force were deployed in different sensitive areas while mobile squads continued patrolling the city. However, no untoward incident was reported in any part of the city.
According to reports from other towns of Balochistan including Nushki, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Mand, Dalbandin and Tump people responded positively to the strike call and brought their business activities and vehicular traffic at a standstill. The protesters of BRP also blocked Quetta-Taftan and Quetta-Karachi Highways due to which traffic remained suspended.