QUETTA, July 25: A call for strike by the Baloch Republican Party received a lukewarm response in southern and western Balochistan.

However, the party’s secretary-general Dr Bashir Azeem described the overall response ‘encouraging’, and said that the Baloch business community had joined the strike to condemn the oppression of troops in Dera Bugti and other areas of Balochistan.

He claimed that the strike was observed in Nushki, Dalbandin, Taftan, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turbat, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allahyar and Kankot. He thanked the people, particularly traders for observing the strike.

The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) and the National Party had backed the strike call.

CONFERENCE: The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) will hold an ‘All-Balochistan political parties conference’ on Saturday to discuss the situation in Dera Bugti and Kohlu.

The Jamhoori Watan Party and the BRP have decided not to attend the conference while the Pakistan People’s Party, Jamait Ulema Islam-F and the Balochistan National Party (Awami) have not been invited.

A statement issued here on Friday by the BNP-M said that the JWP, BRP, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, Awami National Party, PML-N, Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Hazara Democratic Party and Jamaat-i-Islami had been invited to the conference. Representatives of the Balochistan Bar Association and civil society have also been invited.

Opinion

Editorial

Economic plan
Updated 02 Jan, 2025

Economic plan

Absence of policy reforms allows the bureaucracy a lot of space to wriggle out of responsibility.
On life support
02 Jan, 2025

On life support

PAKISTAN stands at a precarious crossroads as we embark on a new year. Pildat’s Quality of Democracy report has...
Harsh sentence
02 Jan, 2025

Harsh sentence

USING lawfare to swiftly get rid of political opponents makes a mockery of the legal system, especially when ...
Looking ahead
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

Looking ahead

The dawn of 2025 brings with it hope of a more constructive path to much-needed stability.
On the front lines
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

On the front lines

THE human cost of terrorism in 2024 was staggering. The ISPR reports 383 officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom...
Avoiding reform
01 Jan, 2025

Avoiding reform

PAKISTAN’S economic growth significantly slowed down to a modest 0.92pc during the first quarter of the present...