The Baluchistan government has banned night travel, mainly for public transport, on the main roads in several districts in the midst of a deteriorated security situation, it emerged on Sunday.
The movement occurs in the midst of an increase in terrorist attacks in Baluchistan, including multiple incidents this year where passengers were attacked and shot dead.
The attached commissioners of the districts of Gwadar, Kachhi, Zhob, Noshki and Musakhel issued notifications that prohibit traveling at night. Quetta’s administration also ordered that public transport that leaves the city was forbidden to make roads at night.
Said Quetta Hamza Shafqaat Commissioner Dawn.com That he presided over a meeting, where “it was decided that public transport would be prohibited from traveling on the Karachi-Quetta highway (N-25), also known as the RCD road, at night, disconnecting Baluchistan from Sindh.”
He also emphasized to ensure that buses and coaches come out in a timely manner to avoid travel delays.
“The tracker and CCTV cameras in all buses and coaches would remain functional, while transporters have been told to cooperate with government directives,” said Shafqaat.
In a notification issued on March 28, Gwadar DC Hamoodur Rehman said that all public transport on Makran coastal highway (N-10) would be prohibited at night to new orders.
In addition, he said that taking into account the “security of the passengers”, the administration and private transport association had decided to restrict the starting times of Karachi, Gwadar and Quetta to make sure they reach their destination before the falls of the night.
All the transport that is directed from Karachi or Quetta to Gwadar would leave between 5 am and 10 am, while those that fit from the port city to the two cities would do it between 6 am and 1 pm
In a similar notification of Kachhi DC Jahanzaib Langve, all public and private transport that did not travel on the Quetta-Sukkur (N-65) road between 5 PM and 5 am of March 28 until more orders were ordered, disconnecting the province of Sindh at night.
The vehicles that are directed from Sibi to Quetta during the proscribed times would stop on the shore of the Nari River in Sibi, while those who came from the provincial capital would be detained in Kolpur, the notification added.
A separate order from Zhob DC Mehboob Ahmad prohibited public buses and coaches from traveling through Zhob on the N-50 National Highway, which joins Quetta with Dera Ismail Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at night.
Carriers were told not to travel between 6 PM and 6 am from March 27 until more orders are issued.
Noshki dc Amjad Soomro and Musakhel DC Juma Dad Commandkhail also issued similar notifications, which prohibits public transport of the Quetta-Taphtan roads (N-40) and fine-llolai (N-70) between 6pm and 6am.
Highway attacks
According to Baluchistan government spokesman, Shahid Rind, national roads have been closed 76 times for several reasons since January 1.
The militants in Baluchistan have recently intensified their attacks, with the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BL) forbidden as a key author of terrorist violence in Pakistan in 2024.
More recently, armed men blocked the coastal road in Gwadar and killed six people, all from Punjab, after landing them from a bus bound for Karachi.
A Jaffar Express train was kidnapped earlier this month, in which 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel, lost their lives. Five more security personnel were martyred during the operation.
Last month, the militants blocked several points on the Quetta-Sukkur N-65 highway in Bolan and confiscated weapons of the security team of the parliamentary secretary of Baluchistan, Mir Liaquat Ali Lehri.
The previous month, seven passengers to Punjab were downloaded from a bus and shot dead in the Barkhan district of Baluchistan.
In August of last year, when Bla launched numerous attacks throughout the province, 23 travelers were downloaded from trucks and buses and fired in the Musakhail district.
In April 2024, nine people were forced to leave a bus and shot dead after the gunmen blocked the N-40 road of Quetta-tanfan near Noshki.
