June 24, 2026
Staff Report
QUETTA
A shutter-down strike was partially observed across Balochistan on Wednesday as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) called for a day of protest against the conviction and life imprisonment sentences handed down to its leaders, Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah.
The strike drew visible support across Baloch-dominated districts, with complete shutdowns reported in Gwadar, Wadh, Nushki, Kalat, Mastung, Khuzdar, Sorab, and Turbat. In the provincial capital Quetta, the impact was more uneven. Business centres in localities including Saryab Road, Qambrani Road, and Brewery Road partially closed, while government offices, schools, and universities remained open and traffic moved normally. Areas on the city’s outskirts, however, observed a complete shutdown through much of the morning before shops gradually resumed activity in the late afternoon.
“The strike call had the most impact in the Baloch-dominated areas of Balochistan,” said Shahzada Zulfiqar, a senior Quetta-based journalist, adding that the shutterdown protest was most keenly felt in areas with majority Baloch populations.
Speaking from Turbat,Syed Abdul Majeed Shah, former president of Kech Bar Association confirmed that business centres in the city closed entirely and that the Makran Chapter of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association backed the strike, with lawyers boycotting court proceedings across the Makran division.
The BYC’s call was backed by a broad coalition of political parties and legal bodies, including the Balochistan National Party (BNP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Balochistan (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP), Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), National Democratic Movement (NDM), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), National Democratic Party (NDP), Awami Workers Party (Marxist), the Makran chapter of Balochistan High Court Bar Association, and the Insaf Lawyers Forum Balochistan.
Security disruptions compound public hardship
The strike coincided with heightened security arrangements ahead of Ashura. Mobile phone service had been suspended across Quetta a day earlier — officially to ensure security on the occasion of the 7th of Muharram — and was restored on Thursday. Residents living along Muharram procession routes reported intermittent connectivity even after restoration, alongside difficulties in movement due to security barriers. The provincial government has announced that cellular services will again be suspended on Thursday and Friday for the main Ashura processions. Train services between Quetta and Peshawar have also been suspended for three days owing to security concerns.
International condemnation
The sentencing of Dr. Mahrang Baloch — handed down by a Quetta Anti-Terrorism Court on June 22 — has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights organisations and public figures.
Amnesty International, in a statement issued Wednesday, said the verdict was “an affront to the right to a fair trial” and accused Pakistani authorities of misusing anti-terrorism laws to suppress peaceful dissent. The organisation noted that the conviction followed an expedited, closed-door trial conducted on jail premises, during which serious concerns arose over compliance with international fair trial standards and due process. It added that no direct evidence was presented linking Mahrang Baloch or Sibghatullah to the alleged acts of violence.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also voiced her opposition, describing the trial as a “mockery of justice” conducted “in utter secrecy” and accusing the Pakistani government of criminalising dissent.