As protest erupts, Balochistan comes to a standstill

Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province has come to a standstill and has been facing unrest with several political and nationalist parties launching an indefinite blockade of all national highways from Wednesday against alleged rigging of the election results.
Four political parties, including the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), National Party (NP), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), and Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), have been jointly holding protests since Saturday in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan province against the outcome of the February 8 polls.

Khushal Khan Kakar of the PKMAP told the media on Wednesday that the blockade would continue until the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered a recount in all those constituencies where massive alleged rigging has taken place in the province.
“The Baloch people are angry and frustrated over the electoral injustice done in the name of free and fair elections,” Kakar said.

Since Saturday, the province has been virtually cut off from the rest of the country as the workers and supporters of political parties held sit-ins and protests and blocked the highway links, but from Wednesday Kakar said all highways were being blocked.
The strike has seen markets and businesses closed and the trade was also hit with Afghanistan and Iran through the Chaman and Tafan borders as roads remained blocked for the last five days.

The strikes have also led to the coastal highway and China Pakistan Economic Corridor highway being unusable as the supporters of the National Party and BNP-Mengal.