The Balochistan government has imposed a ban on nighttime travel on national highways in the province, according to a notification issued by multiple concerned deputy commissioners (DCs).
The notification – issued by Kachhi, Zhob, Gwadar, Nushki and Musakhail DCs – prohibits travel on national highways from 6pm to 6am.
The directives will apply to Sibi Road, Zhob-DI Khan Road, Coastal Highway, Quetta-Taftan Highway and Loralai-DG Khan Highway.
The decision comes amid a worsening law and order situation in the country’s largest province by land area, with multiple terrorist attacks reported in recent weeks.
A day earlier, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally near Mastung’s Lak Pass.
The attack occurred days after terrorists killed at least eight people-four labourers and four police personnel – in Kalat and Noshki districts last week.
Additionally, at least five passengers were executed two days ago after armed men intercepted a Karachi-bound bus in Gwadar’s Kalmat area, forcibly removing them before killing them.
In another recent attack, at least five people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers, were martyred and 35 others injured in an explosion targeting a paramilitary convoy on the Nushki-Dalbandin highway.
Before that, dozens of militants affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) blew up a railway track and attacked the Jaffar Express, which was carrying over 440 passengers who were subsequently taken hostage.
After a complex clearance operation, security forces neutralised 33 attackers and rescued the hostages.
Despite successfully reclaiming the train, the incident resulted in 26 passengers being martyred, including 18 security personnel from the Pakistan Army and FC, three officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five civilians. Additionally, three FC personnel were martyred in an attack on a security checkpoint before the train ambush.
The province is also grappling with socio-political unrest following the arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch. She is currently held at Quetta District Jail under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance for her alleged involvement in a violent attack on Civil Hospital and the forcible removal of attackers’ bodies from the Jaffar Express train bombing.
The BYC leaders face multiple charges, including terrorism, murder, attempted murder, incitement to violence and rebellion, creating disorder, promoting racial hatred, and damaging property.
Meanwhile, the security forces also continue to carry out kinetic operations against terrorists – six of whom were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Saturday.
The killed terrorists remained actively involved in recent terrorist activities in the area against the law enforcement agencies as well as the innocent civilians, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a sit-in of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) demanding the release of arrested Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders continued on Sunday, after the provincial government’s talks with the party yesterday failed to reach a solution.
BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal had announced a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta to protest the arrests of BYC chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and other leaders as well as police crackdowns on a sit-in. However, the Quetta administration had denied the party permission for the rally.
On Saturday evening, a provincial government delegation comprising Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Bakht Muhammad Kakar and Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai met Mengal and other BNP-M leaders at the party’s sit-in site in Mastung.
Mengal, Nawab Muhammad Khan Shahwani, Sajid Tareen and other leaders participated in the talks on behalf of the sit-in participants.