Govt employees lock down offices in Balochistan

QUETTA: Government institutions across Balochistan began shutting down on Thursday after the Balochistan Grand Alliance, which represents government employees, announced an indefinite closure campaign in response to arrests of workers, alleged torture and restrictions on their protest activities.

According to leaders of the alliance, government employees have been holding peaceful protests for the past two years to press for what they described as their legitimate demands and rights. They said that instead of resolving these issues, the provincial authorities had imposed curbs on protest activity.

The latest escalation followed a protest in Quetta on Wednesday during which, the alliance said, police fired tear gas and detained several employees. Condemning the police action, the alliance decided to expand its protest movement across the province and called for a wider shutdown of public institutions.

As part of the new phase of agitation, the alliance said protest rallies and demonstrations would start across Balochistan from Thursday. It also announced that a fast-unto-death camp would be set up outside the Quetta Press Club on June 19.

The shutdown affected a large number of government offices as well as educational institutions, disrupting official work in different parts of the province. The closure of schools and other educational facilities also created problems for students and parents, with concerns emerging that a prolonged standoff could affect the ongoing academic year.

The Balochistan Grand Alliance said its protest would continue until its demands were accepted and the arrested employees were released. The alliance also appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur to take immediate notice of the situation in Balochistan and ensure what it called injustices against government employees were addressed without delay.

Police action in Quetta

The present phase of the protest movement follows clashes in Quetta on Wednesday, when members of the alliance attempted to march toward the Red Zone and the Balochistan Assembly. BGA workers and other government employees held rallies in different parts of the city before converging at Chaman Phatak and moving toward the assembly.

Police moved to stop the protesters from entering the high-security area and used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several alliance leaders and government employees were taken into custody during the operation.

The alliance has since said it will intensify its campaign across Balochistan, linking the indefinite closure of public offices to the arrests made during the Quetta protest and to the broader dispute over employee demands.