QUETTA: Authorities in Quetta blocked major roads and suspended internet services on Friday after denying permission for a public meeting by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), prompting the party to cancel its event and condemn the move.
The district administration erected barbed wire fences and used trucks and large containers to block all routes leading toward the planned venue at the Railway Hockey ground and other main intersections.
A heavy contingent of police, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Constabulary personnel established checkpoints at various points, sealing off Bacha Khan Chowk, Manan Chowk, Airport Road and other adjoining roads.
The move caused severe inconvenience for residents, as traffic was completely suspended in the affected areas. Main bazaars and commercial areas also remained closed.
Internet, mobile data and phone services were suspended from the morning until late evening, disrupting businesses and online banking. Access to the Quetta Press Club and the central secretariat of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party was also blocked.
Dawood Shah Kakar, the provincial president of PTI in Balochistan, announced the cancellation of the public meeting on Friday afternoon. He strongly condemned the government for not granting permission, calling it an “unconstitutional and illegal act of the local administration.”
Mr Kakar alleged that the local administration filled the venue with water and “imposed an unannounced curfew in Quetta”.
He said the PTI cancelled its gathering “for the safety of their workers and supporters”. Mr Kakar added that a new date for the public meeting in Quetta will be announced soon.
