QUETTA — A multiparty conference (MPC) on Monday condemned what it described as illegal night raids on markets and warehouses in Balochistan, warning the measures amounted to the economic strangulation of traders and communities across the province.
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The conference, organised by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and chaired by JUI provincial deputy emir Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Abdul Rehman Rafiq, brought together political leaders, traders and civil society representatives. Participants expressed concern over alleged involvement of the local administration, customs and police in late-night operations targeting commercial areas.
The conference accused officials of seizing goods without documentation and without informing traders. A declaration issued after the gathering demanded an immediate end to the raids, terming them unlawful and discriminatory. It also urged provincial authorities to reopen border crossings with neighbouring countries to allow legal trade to resume, amid warnings that continued restrictions were leaving thousands jobless and pushing many families into poverty.
Speakers argued that such enforcement actions appeared disproportionately concentrated in Balochistan, describing the approach as unjust and counterproductive. They said the region’s traders relied heavily on cross-border commerce and that prolonged closures had disrupted livelihoods, supply chains and prices.
The MPC also expressed solidarity with the Grand Alliance of government employees and endorsed demands for relief measures, including implementation of the Disparity Reduction Allowance. The conference condemned the use of force against employees’ protests, calling for the release of detainees and reinstatement of dismissed workers.
Participants criticised extended gas and electricity load-shedding, water shortages and what they described as deteriorating law and order. They demanded the removal of joint Frontier Corps and police check posts in Quetta, relief for rickshaw drivers, restoration of public transport services and action against extortion in the gold trade.
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The gathering announced it would present a detailed charter of demands to the provincial leadership and warned of protests if grievances were not addressed.