QUETTA: Protesters in Qila Abdullah ended their sit-in and agreed to bury the bodies of those killed after authorities rescued an abducted man and reached a late-night agreement with demonstrators, officials said.
The sit-in began earlier this week after a deadly shooting in Qila Abdullah left three people dead and Haider Kakar was kidnapped. Relatives placed the bodies on the Quetta–Qila Abdullah–Chaman Highway, demanding action against the perpetrators.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove confirmed that Mr Kakar had been rescued and handed over to his family, after which tribesmen and local residents called off the protest and reopened the highway. He pledged that the provincial government would safeguard citizens’ lives and property.
Balochistan Home Affairs Adviser Babar Yousafzai said the breakthrough followed late-night talks in Qila Abdullah between demonstrators and a provincial delegation that included Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar, MPAs Asfandyar Kakar and Zamrak Khan Achakzai, and PPP Balochistan General Secretary Rabbani Kakar. The health minister said the talks amicably resolved the demonstrators’ demands and that fulfilling those commitments was the provincial government’s responsibility.