QUETTA - Political and religious parties with stakes in Balochistan’s dismissed government took out rallies on Sunday in different towns of the province to protest against the imposition of governor’s rule and demand restoration of the provincial government.
Terming the governor’s rule in Balochistan unconstitutional, unjustifiable and tantamount to insulting the pubic mandate, they demanded its immediate withdrawal.
Dozens of activists of Jamiat Uelma-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) and Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A) took out a rally in Quetta. After marching through different roads, the participants gathered at Bacha Khan Chowk.
They were carrying party flags and banners inscribed with different demands and were also shouting slogans against imposition of governor’s rule. Addressing the occasion, JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah and Dr Abdul Razzaq; BNP-A’s Dr Nashnaz; and other speakers strongly criticised PPP’s top brass for imposition of governor’s rule in Balochistan. “Besides President Zardari and Governor Nawab Magsi, officials in uniform were also involved in the ‘conspiracy’ against Balochistan government,” they alleged.
They said that bomb blasts at Alamdar Road was in fact regrettable that claimed dozens of lives but snatching mandate of millions of people on the pretext of blasts was sheer injustice.
“Governor’s rule in Balochistan is unconstitutional thus we strongly demand this decision should be taken back and the democratic government should be restored forthwith,” they said and warned to come up with more massive protests if the government was not restored.
Protest rallies were also held by JUI-F and BNP-A in Nushki, Chaman, Sibbi, Dera Murad Jamali, Loralai, Kalat and other cities where protestors demanded for immediate withdrawal of governor’s rule. The coalition parties in Balochistan’s sacked government have also announced a shutter down strike on Jan 25 and wheel-jam strike on Feb 1.