Parts of Balochistan shut down on opposition alliance's call

Karachi, Feb 8 (PTI) Parts of Balochistan came to a standstill on Sunday after a call for a complete shutter down and traffic strike by an opposition alliance to mark the anniversary of February 8, 2024 Pakistan general elections, which they allege were rigged.
     The strike call was given by Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP), the united front of all opposition political parties, including incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the country.
     After the February 8, 2024 general elections, Khan had called the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as 'mandate thieves' alleging that they rigged the election to steal his party's seats by manipulating results to come to power.
     The TTAP leaders echoed the sentiment as they called for a nation-wide shutter down and traffic strike on Sunday.
     Normal life was disrupted in Balochistan capital Quetta and other parts of the province and public transport remained off the road with all markets closed, according to Hafiz Ziaullah, senior member of Jamiat Ulema Fazlur Rahman group, Balochistan chapter.
     The government has ordered heavy police and frontier corp deployment as supporters of various component parties of the TTAP movement are staging demonstrations at multiple locations, blocking highways and main roads leading into and out of Quetta.
     Several protesters were arrested during clashes with law enforcement agencies, further escalating tensions, police said.
     Balochistan was rocked by massive violence when at least 216 terrorists, 36 civilians and 22 personnel were killed in the days-long operation launched on January 26 in response to terror attacks at multiple places in the province.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)