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The provincial capital of Quetta experienced a major traffic disruption on Friday, lasting several hours, after tribesmen and family members of an abducted 11-year-old boy blocked the main Zarghoon Road in protest, as reported by the Dawn.
The boy, son of a prominent tribal elder, was kidnapped while traveling home from school. According to police, armed men intercepted the school van near the Patel Bagh area of Quetta and took the boy, the Dawn reported. In response to the abduction, a large group of protesters, including tribesmen and political party workers, gathered along Zarghoon Road and blocked multiple points, causing severe traffic disruptions across Quetta. The protesters also shut down parts of the Quetta-Chaman Highway, halting travel between Quetta and Chaman, the Dawn reported. The protest escalated as demonstrators set tires on fire and blocked major roads and intersections, leading to a massive traffic jam that stranded hundreds of vehicles. During their demonstration, the protesters demanded the safe return of the boy and refused to end their sit-in until he was freed. The family of the kidnapped child stated that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred. In 2020, another one of their children was abducted and later found murdered, the Dawn reported. The protest finally ended late Friday night after negotiations with the deputy inspector general of police in Quetta, where the DIG assured the protesters that efforts would be made to locate and recover the kidnapped boy. Following this, the protest was postponed until 2 pm on Saturday. (ANI)
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