By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: The Balochistan government has imposed a night-time travel ban on major highways in several districts to boost security after a surge in deadly terrorist attacks targeting passengers, officials said on Sunday.
The restrictions, aimed at curbing violence linked to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), primarily affect public transport and cover Gwadar, Kachhi, Zhob, Noshki, and Musakhel districts, with additional measures for vehicles departing from Quetta.
In Gwadar, where armed men killed six Punjab residents on the Coastal Highway last month, Deputy Commissioner Hamoodur Rehman has prohibited all public transport on the Makran Coastal Highway (N-10) during nighttime hours. According to a March 28 notification, transport from Karachi or Quetta to Gwadar must depart between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., while vehicles leaving Gwadar for those cities are restricted to 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., ensuring arrivals before dark.
The decision reflects growing security concerns in the region, a key hub for Pakistan’s China-backed port projects.
Similar restrictions have been imposed in other districts. In Kachhi district, Deputy Commissioner Jahanzaib Langove has barred both public and private vehicles from traveling on the Quetta-Sukkur highway (N-65) between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. Vehicles from Sibi to Quetta will be halted at the Nari River bank, while those from Quetta will be stopped at Kolpur, Langove said.
The measure follows an attack last month in which militants seized weapons from a security team on the same route, highlighting the deteriorating safety on Balochistan’s highways.
Zhob district has seen a parallel restriction, with public buses and coaches banned from the N-50 National Highway, connecting Quetta to Dera Ismail Khan, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In Noshki and Musakhel, night-time travel is prohibited on the Quetta-Taftan (N-40) and Multan-Loralai (N-70) highways, respectively, as authorities grapple with a surge in violence.
The BLA, which claimed responsibility for executing 23 travelers in Musakhail last August and killing nine near Noshki in April 2024, has intensified its campaign against civilians and security forces alike.
For transport departing from Quetta, Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat announced restrictions on the Karachi-Quetta highway (N-25), known as the RCD Highway, during night hours.
He emphasised that trackers and CCTV cameras in all buses and coaches must remain operational, urging transporters to comply fully with government directives. The move comes in the wake of the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train earlier this month, an attack that left 26 dead, including 18 security personnel.
Authorities have called on transporters to adjust schedules and adhere to the new restrictions to safeguard passengers, though no end date for the ban has been specified.
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