QUETTA: Traffic between Quetta and border town Chaman remained suspended for hours, after two political parties staged protests against an assistant returning officer on the highway connecting Quetta with Kandahar, on Monday.
Workers and supporters of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) gathered in large numbers near Syed Hameed bridge and placed barricades to record their protest against the posting of an assistant returning officer for conducting election on the provincial assembly seat PB-50.
The leaders of both parties alleged that the assistant RO is a close relative of a candidate and belongs to the same village and cast as those of the candidate.
“It is an attempt to pave the way for pre-poll rigging, which is not acceptable to other candidates,” a leader who was leading the protests said, adding that not only one party but all other candidates have objections to the appointment of the assistant returning officer.
The protesters, who blocked the highway, chanted slogans against the election commission and demanded that the official be changed immediately to ensure free and fair elections in PB-50 constituency of Qila Abdullah.
Traffic remained suspended between Quetta and Chaman due to the protest, leaving a number of trucks and buses stranded in a gridlock on both sides.
During the day, local administration made efforts to remove the hurdles on the highway but the protesting workers of JUI-F and PkMAP refused to budge until the removal of the assistant RO.
Later in the evening, the protesters agreed to open the highway and restore traffic after negotiations with the officials of the Balochistan election commission who assured them that the officer would be replaced.
“Traffic has been restored after successful talks with JUI-F and PkMAP local leaders,” a senior local administration officer also confirmed to Dawn.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2024
