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Home »Top Stories » Governor’s Rule imposed on Balochistan: government faces double whammy of carnage protests and ‘long march’

  • News Desk
  • Jan 14th, 2013
  • Comments Off on Governor’s Rule imposed on Balochistan: government faces double whammy of carnage protests and ‘long march’
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Sunday night announced imposing governor rule on Balochistan under Article 234 of the Constitution, effectively making Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi the chief executive of the province, Aaj News reported. Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the governor will have the powers to call in Pakistan Army.

Talking to protesters in Quetta, the Prime Minister said that police powers had been delegated to the Frontier Corps (FC) in Quetta and FC would now have powers to investigate incidents of militancy, adding that the FC forces would be directly supervised by the Corps Commander of the Southern Command.

The prime minister said that compensation will also be paid to heirs of the deceased's before January 31 this year.

INP adds: Meanwhile, Protests continued across the country on Sunday against the Quetta carnage, which left over hundred people dead in a series of bombings.

Families of the victims refused to burry the dead and continued their protest along with coffins for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

Separately, more than 500 workers and supporters of the Hazara Democratic Party gathered outside the office of the provincial police chief in the city to protest, as its leader Abdul Khaliq went on a three-day hunger strike against lack of security.

"We want an immediate take-over of Quetta by the army," Khaliq said.

"The protest sit-in by hundreds of our supporters will continue for three days after which we will decide our future course of action," he added.

A complete shutter-down strike was observed in the city on the call of Pashtunkhwa Awami Mili Party.

Demonstrators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and other parts of the country demanded that the Balochistan government be removed and the Pakistan army be called in.

Protesters belonging to Wahdatul Muslimeen, Yakjehti council and members of civil society staged a sit-in in Rawalpindi while the Imamia Students Organisation protested outside the Governor's House in Lahore.

A group of Hazara students staged a sit-in in F-6 super market in Islamabad while the motorway police had to close the Chakri Interchage due to protest by Shia organisations against the killings.

Protest demonstrations were also held in Larkana, Sukkur, Jaccobabad, Khairpur, Ghotki, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Chakwal, Bahawalnagar, Silakot, Peshawar and other parts of the country. The participants blocked roads in different cities. In Karachi, MQM observed Sunday as a day of mourning over the Quetta and Swat tragedies. Despite heavy snowfall, protest was also held in Skardu against the killings of Hazara community members in Quetta.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013


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