Pakistan: Balochistan Imposes Evening Journey Ban On Key Highways After Safety Issues

BALOCHISTAN: The Balochistan authorities has imposed a night-time journey ban on main highways in a number of districts, primarily affecting public transport, in response to rising safety issues, Daybreak reported. The transfer follows a rise in terrorist assaults focusing on passengers throughout the province, with a number of lethal incidents reported this 12 months.

Authorities in Gwadar, Kachhi, Zhob, Noshki, and Musakhel districts have issued official notifications limiting journey throughout nighttime hours. Equally, the Quetta administration has directed that public transport departing from the town is not going to be allowed to function at night time. Quetta Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, after chairing a gathering on the problem, said, “It was determined that public transport can be prohibited from travelling on the Karachi-Quetta freeway (N-25), also referred to as the RCD Freeway, at night time, disconnecting Balochistan from Sindh.” Officers have additionally emphasised that transport schedules ought to be adjusted to forestall delays, making certain well timed departures and arrivals.

“Trackers and CCTV cameras in all buses and coaches can be saved purposeful, whereas transporters have been informed to cooperate with the federal government directives,” Shafqaat added. The journey restrictions apply to a number of highways, with particular timing rules. In a notification issued on March 28, Gwadar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamoodur Rehman introduced that public transport on the Makran Coastal Freeway (N-10) can be barred from night-time operations till additional discover. The order, geared toward passenger security, additionally units designated departure home windows for buses touring between Karachi, Gwadar, and Quetta, making certain that they attain their locations earlier than dusk.

Equally, Kachhi DC Jahanzaib Langove’s notification prohibits all private and non-private transport from touring on the Quetta-Sukkur freeway (N-65) between 5pm and 5am. This restriction successfully cuts off night-time journey between Balochistan and Sindh. Automobiles making an attempt to journey inside restricted hours will likely be stopped at checkpoints–those heading from Sibi to Quetta will likely be halted on the Nari River financial institution in Sibi, whereas these touring in the wrong way will likely be stopped at Kolpur.

In Zhob, DC Mehboob Ahmad issued an order stopping public buses and coaches from touring by means of the district on the N-50 Nationwide Freeway, which connects Quetta to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan, between 6pm and 6am. The ban has been in impact since March 27 and can stay till additional directives, reported Daybreak.

Additional restrictions have been positioned on different main highways. Noshki DC Amjad Soomro and Musakhel DC Juma Dad Mandokhail have barred night-time journey on the Quetta-Taftan (N-40) and Multan-Loralai (N-70) highways, respectively, with operational hours restricted to 6am to 6pm. In response to Balochistan authorities spokesman Shahid Rind, “Nationwide highways have been closed 76 instances for numerous causes since January 1.”

The heightened safety measures come amid escalating militant violence within the area. The banned Balochistan Liberation Military (BLA) has been recognized as a key actor in latest terrorist incidents. Only in the near past, armed males blocked the Coastal Freeway in Gwadar, forcefully eliminated six passengers from a Karachi-bound bus, and killed them–all of whom have been from Punjab.

Earlier this month, the Jaffar Categorical practice was hijacked, ensuing within the deaths of 26 hostages, together with 18 safety personnel. 5 extra safety personnel have been killed throughout the rescue operation. February noticed one other assault the place militants stopped autos on the Quetta-Sukkur freeway (N-65) in Bolan, seizing weapons from the safety group of Balochistan Parliamentary Secretary Mir Liaquat Ali Lehri. In the identical month, seven Punjab-bound passengers have been forcibly taken from a bus and executed in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, Daybreak reported.

The violence follows a sample of comparable assaults lately. In August 2023, militants carried out coordinated assaults throughout Balochistan, killing 23 vacationers who have been taken from buses and vehicles in Musakhel district. In April 2024, one other assault occurred when gunmen ambushed the Quetta-Taftan Freeway (N-40) close to Noshki, the place 9 passengers have been faraway from a bus and executed.