QUETTA: Chaman remains volatile with ongoing violent protests and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement for the third consecutive day on Friday, injuring 20 people, including eight security personnel.
Security forces detained 45 individuals for allegedly damaging property and attacking security officials during protests.
Passenger train service between Quetta and Chaman has been suspended due to the violence and attacks on government buildings. “No train departed for Chaman from Quetta on Friday due to security concerns,” confirmed a senior Pakistan Railways official.
Despite assurances from tribal elders that protests would remain confined to a designated area where a sit-in has been ongoing for months, demonstrators swarmed various roads armed with sticks and stones, targeting shops that had opened.
The sit-in protests are against the government’s decision to require valid passports and visas for crossing the Chaman border. Previously, Pakistanis and Afghans crossed the border with their respective identity cards.
Due to the violent protests, business centers and numerous government offices, including banks, remained closed on Friday. “National Bank has relocated its staff to Qila Abdullah to ensure operations for its Chaman branch,” a bank official told Dawn. Some shops opened in the morning were forcibly closed by protesters, who also demonstrated in front of the FC headquarters in Chaman, pelting the building with stones.
Security forces, including Levies, police, and Frontier Corps, used tear gas to disperse protesters attacking security personnel with sticks. “At least 20 people, including eight security personnel, were injured in the clashes, bringing the total number of injured to 60 over the past two to three days,” a senior police officer in Chaman told Dawn by phone.
“Security forces have arrested 45 individuals for attacking police and Levies during demonstrations,” a law department official confirmed to Dawn.
Despite the unrest, the Quetta-Chaman highway remains open, with local administration warning that blocking this critical route connecting Pakistan with Afghanistan will not be allowed.
“We aim to resolve the issue through constructive negotiations to restore employment lost due to the prolonged closure of the Pak-Afghan border,” a senior Chaman official told Dawn. “We held talks with tribal elders last night, who promised to normalize the situation, but this commitment was not honored.”
However, protest leaders have declared their demonstration will continue until the release of their arrested leaders and all individuals detained over the past three days.
State’s Authority
A high-level meeting led by Chief Minister Mir Safraz Bugti on Friday reviewed the situation in Chaman and resolved to uphold state authority and prevent violent protests in Balochistan.
Officials briefed the meeting on recent developments, and it was decided that state authority must be maintained to ensure peace and order at Balochistan’s borders.
CM Bugti stated that local traders in Chaman are willing to negotiate, and the government is open to dialogue to find a solution. However, he stressed that attacks on security forces and damage to property are unacceptable.
Meanwhile, four political parties—Awami National Party, Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party, Pishin Tahaffuz Movement, and National Democratic Party—held a demonstration in front of the Quetta Press Club in support of the Chaman protesters. They demanded the government accept all the demands of Chaman traders and protesters.
Parliamentary Committee
PTI leader Asad Qaisar urged the National Assembly to form a parliamentary committee to address the situation in Chaman and former FATA, where people are protesting against loadshedding and state actions. “I appeal for mercy for the motherland. Stop using bullets on the people of Chaman; they should be brought to the table for dialogue,” he said.
Regulated Border Movement
The Foreign Office stated that movement across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border should be regulated by visas. During a media briefing in Islamabad, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch emphasized that individuals entering Pakistan from Afghanistan must have a visa and an Afghan passport, insisting that border movement should adhere to visa regulations.
