Quetta | Pakistan

QUETTA: Prolonged gas shortages amid a severe cold spell triggered protests in parts of the provincial capital on Saturday, as residents blocked roads and burned tyres against low pressure and supply suspensions, while Siberian winds continued to lash Quetta and other towns in northern and central parts of the province following rain and snowfall last week. The severe cold has reduced gas supply in several areas, causing serious difficulties for residents trying to keep their homes warm. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been implementing loadshedding in Quetta and surrounding areas from midnight to 5am. People in Kalat, Mastung, Ziarat, Pishin and several other areas are also facing similar gas shortages amid the ongoing cold spell. However, residents say many localities in the provincial capital and its outskirts are not receiving gas properly even outside these hours. “We are getting gas for a very limited time without any timetable,” Mehmood Khan, a resident of the Sariab area, told Dawn, adding tha...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that it is the government’s duty to work with provinces, especially those which are experiencing challenges, stressing the need for “brotherhood and cooperation”. The premier said this while addressing political leaders in Quetta, where he also announced the launch of several development projects worth billions of rupees in the province’s education and infrastructure sectors. PM Shehbaz began his address by stating it was unfortunate that Balochistan had been grappling with terrorism, and added that the role of the armed forces in combating terrorism could not be appreciated enough. “Be it the soldiers and officials of the army, Rangers personnel and officials, or those of Levies, and the common man, their sacrifices will be remembered in history,” PM Shehbaz said. He said the fight against terrorism was ongoing and Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term that the state has designated for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan — were being provided support from our “neighbouri...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in Quetta today (Thursday) on a day-long visit, sources said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Quetta on Thursday, accompanied by several federal ministers, officials confirmed.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed the local bodies elections in Quetta that were scheduled to take place on December 28, citing legal developments.

QUETTA: Baloch rights activist Abdul Qadeer Baloch passed away on Saturday in a Quetta hospital after a prolonged illness. He served as the vice chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), which set up a camp years ago on Quetta’s Adalat Road, a site that has long stood as a symbol of protest against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch confirmed the rights activist’s passing to Dawn, saying: “He had been ill for a long time and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Quetta for the past two months.” The group’s chairman added that the funeral prayers and burial would be performed on Sunday in Shaheed Sikanderabad district. Baloch said the deceased’s struggle had remained prominent in human rights circles across the country. In November 2011, Qadeer received the mutilated body of his son, Jalil Reiki, who was the information secretary of the Baloch Republican Party. The kidnapping and subsequent death of his son further galvanised the advocacy group, st...

Pakistan Railways has resumed train operations from Quetta to Peshawar after an improvement in the situation, with two trains dispatched to accommodate passenger demand.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected on Wednesday Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s petition seeking the postponement of local government elections in Quetta that were scheduled to be held on December 28. Bugti had filed the petition on Monday, and informed sources told Dawn that he cited the precarious law and order situation in the provincial capital and the suspension of internet services as reasons for postponing the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) elections. In its written order today, seen by Dawn, the ECP said the plea was being rejected for “being devoid of force” and that the electoral body had decided to hold local government elections in Quetta on the already scheduled date of Dec 28. However, in the majority decision, one of the six members of the commission that considered the plea was in favour of the postponement of local government elections. In its order, the ECP directed the Balochistan government to assist the commission and “all other functionaries who have bee...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday dismissed a request by the Balochistan government seeking postponement of local government elections in Quetta, reaffirming that the polls will be held on December 28 as scheduled.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Monday filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking the postponement of the local government elections in Quetta that were scheduled to be held on December 28. Informed sources told Dawn that in the petition, Bugti cited the precarious law and order situation in the provincial capital and the suspension of internet services as the reasons for postponing the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) elections. He also said people have migrated due to winters, affecting voter participation. Earlier, the Balochistan government had requested the election commission to postpone the polls, citing similar reasons stated in today’s petition. The request was turned down. In other districts of Balochistan, local government elections were held three years ago, and the current bodies’ term would expire in nine months, the sources said. It is worth noting that the ECP completed all preparations for holding local body elections in Quetta, and the printing ...

No loss of life was reported after two separate blasts targeted a police checkpoint and a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) vehicle on Quetta’s Qambrani Road. Police said the first blast occurred near a police checkpoint in the area around Qambrani Road, when unknown motorcyclists hurled a grenade at the post. A second blast, carried out using an improvised explosive device (IED), took place in the same area as miscreants targeted a CTD vehicle that was heading towards the scene of the first explosion. However, the vehicle escaped the IED blast and all CTD officials remained safe, police said. Police added that the IED was fixed to a motorcycle, adding that a remote was used to detonate it. The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as terrorists have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The banned so-called Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. Three e...

The district administration has sealed major roads and suspended mobile and internet services across Quetta ahead of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan rally scheduled in the city today.

The Balochistan government has refused permission to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to stage a political rally in Quetta, citing serious security concerns and the current law and order situation in the province.

The Balochistan government has suspended mobile data services in Quetta district today for 24 hours due to the law and order situation, it emerged on Friday. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Interior and dated October 30 — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — the Balochistan government requested that the relevant authorities be directed to suspend 3G/4G internet services in Quetta on October 31 (today) for 24 hours. “Owing to the peculiar law and order situation and threat perceptions, the services of 3G and 4G services are required to be jammed in district Quetta,” the missive said. In recent months, the security situation in Balochistan has worsened, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The suspension also comes only two months after mobile data services in the province were suspended in August over “security reasons”. However, on August 21— 16 days into the suspension — the Balochistan High Court (BHC) had order...

A “rare lenticular cloud formation” observed over Quetta in the early hours of Tuesday left the public puzzled over the phenomenon and its origins. Citizens reported sighting the phenomenon around morning prayers from many parts of Balochistan and speculation was rife about the likely cause. Many social media accounts hinted that the cloud formation was the result of a missile test or a new technology tested by the military. In a post on X later in the day, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the sight was a “lenticular cloud formation” which was observed early morning over Koh-i-Murdar region. “The cloud appeared before sunrise, persisted for approximately 20 minutes, and dissipated just prior to sunrise.” As per the United Kingdom’s Met Office, lenticular clouds are lens-shaped orographic wave clouds that are formed when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction at different heights through the troposphere. “These strange, unnatural-looking clouds...

Three armed men shot dead in a police encounter on the outskirts of Quetta were identified as members of a kidnapping gang, police said on Sunday, adding that weapons and a vehicle used in the abductions were recovered from the scene. The incident occurred on Saturday in Quetta’s Killi Khali area, within the jurisdiction of the Brewery Police Station, where the suspects were killed during a shootout with police. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Serious Crimes Investigation Wing, Imran Qureshi, told Dawn.com that after identifying the men killed in yesterday’s encounter, an investigation was launched, which revealed that all three were involved in kidnappings. “Two accomplices of the kidnappers managed to escape during the exchange of fire, while a police constable sustained injuries,” SSP Qureshi said. “Two of the slain suspects were identified as Nawab Ali and Ahmed Sultan, while efforts are underway with the help of NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) to find out the identity of the th...

Three suspected robbers were killed in a shootout with police in Quetta’s outskirts on Saturday morning, an official said. Saddar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shaukat Jadoon told Dawn.com that three armed suspects opened fire on a police patrol party in the Killi Khali area, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta, within the limits of the Brewery Police Station. “All three suspects were killed during the police’s retaliatory action,” DSP Jadoon said. “Weapons were recovered from the possession of the dacoits,” the officer said, adding that their bodies were taken to the Bolan Medical College for medico-legal procedures. The suspects were dacoits and were present in the area with the intention of committing a robbery, the DSP said. Further police investigation was being carried out, he added. Last month, Sala­h­u­ddin Achakzai, a prominent tribal elder of the Achakzai tribe, was shot dead and two others were injured when arm­ed men riding motorcycles targeted them on the outskirts of Chaman. In late Au...

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Quetta on Sunday evening, the government of Balochistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. According to PDMA, the earthquake was recorded at 06:29pm, approximately 65 kilometres west of Quetta at the geographical coordinates of Latitude 30.19°N and Longitude 66.33°E, with a focal depth of 25 kilometres. The monitoring data were analysed through automatic seismic mode. Tremors of mild to moderate intensity were reportedly felt in Quetta and adjoining areas, it said in a statement. It said that the authority was in coordination with the district disaster management authorities to assess the situation. “As of now, no immediate reports of losses or damages have been received from any district. “The PEOC (Provincial Emergency Operations Centre) [of] PDMA Balochistan is in coordination with DDMAs (District Disaster Management Authorities) to assess the situation,” the authority said in a statement. “As of now, no immediate reports of losses or damages ...

At least ten terrorists were killed in Quetta’s Aghbarg area during an exchange of fire with security personnel from the Counter-terrorism Department (CTD), a spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Ten terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between them and the CTD team in the Aghbarg neighbourhood of Quetta,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “CTD carried out the operation after receiving a tip-off from intelligence agencies,” he said, adding that “upon reaching the area, they were attacked by the terrorists but promptly retaliated.” “Heavy ammunition and weapons were recovered from the slain terrorists,” as per the statement. The spokesperson said that the “terrorists had previously been involved in attacking security forces and belonged to a banned terrorist outfit.” “The slain terrorists have not yet been identified,” the spokesperson said, adding that their “bodies have been transferred to a hospital for identification purposes.” “Further investigation into the matter is underway,” the statement...

Security forces killed ten terrorists during a joint intelligence-based operation in the Gazaband area on the outskirts of Quetta, officials confirmed on Wednesday.