Syed Ali Shah, Ali Hamza: Families of victims continued two separate protest sit-ins in Quetta on Wednesday, refusing to bury their loved ones until they are granted direct talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The Quetta protests have entered a critical phase, with demonstrators blocking key roads and demanding assurances that their concerns will be addressed. Security has also been placed on high alert ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the provincial capital.
One sit-in is being held outside B.A. Mall on Airport Road, where relatives of five victims of the Hanna Urak tragedy have been protesting for five consecutive days. The second protest is taking place near Coala Phattak, where the families of 13 police personnel martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack have refused to bury the deceased.
Protesters say the bodies will remain at the demonstration sites until they meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and receive a clear commitment that their demands will be fulfilled.
According to official sources, 21 police personnel were martyred in the terrorist attack at Mangi Dam Phase III in Ziarat. After post-mortem examinations at Civil Hospital Quetta, the bodies of eight officers were sent to their hometowns for burial, while the remaining 13 were brought to the protest camp near Coal Phattak.
The two demonstrations have attracted large numbers of tribal elders, political leaders, civil society members and local residents, who joined the grieving families in calling for justice and stronger security measures.
The ongoing Quetta protests have severely disrupted traffic on Airport Road, Coal Phattak and nearby routes. Traffic police have diverted vehicles to alternative roads, but commuters continue to face significant delays.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to chair a National Apex Committee meeting in Quetta, where federal ministers, the Balochistan chief minister, senior military officials and top law enforcement authorities will review the province’s security situation, recent terrorist attacks and future counterterrorism measures.
The attack in Ziarat’s Mangi Dam Phase III left 21 police personnel martyred. Officials said security forces later carried out a retaliatory operation in which 15 terrorists were killed. Meanwhile, the families of the Hanna Urak victims have vowed to continue their protest until the government responds to their demands.
