Heirs of Alamdar Road blast victims demand army in Quetta

QUETTA: The city wore a gloomy look as the provincial capital mourned its 118 dead, who were targeted in Thursday’s multiple blasts at Alamdar Road.

In protest, they refused to bury the dead on Friday, and staged a sit-in, demanding that the government protect them from barrage of bombings and shootings.

They took more than 50 bodies to the main Rehmat Khan Chowk at the Alamdar Road, saying that they will not bury them until the government improved security in the city. The protesters burnt tyres and blocked the road.

The protesters shouted slogans against the provincial government and held it responsible for the killings. The demonstrators demanded of the government to step down in the larger interest of the province as it had failed miserably to maintain law and order in Balochistan.

They vowed to continue protest till the provincial government steps down and the city is handed over to the army.

Meanwhile, A complete shutter-down strike was observed in the provincial capital to condemn the bombings on the call of the Anjuman-e-Tajiran Balochistan, endorsed by nearly all politico-nationalists parties.

All markets and business centres at Liaquat Bazaar, Prince Road, Jinnah Road, Shahra-e-Iqbal, Mission Road, Shawak Sha Road, Masjid Road, Alamdar Road and Abdul Sattar Road remained closed throughout the day.

Traffic was thin on the city’s roads compared to routine. Heavy contingents of the police and law enforcement agencies were deployed to maintain law and order. However, no unpleasant incident was reported.