Transporters in Hub Chowki blocked the main Quetta-Karachi highway at Lakh Badu in protest against the alleged brutality of the Hub Chowki police. The protestors parked their buses in the middle of the road, suspending the heavy traffic for hours. Hundreds of vehicles are reportedly stuck and waiting for the highway to reopen.
According to the details, the transporters blocked the road in protest against “police brutality.” They argue that the Hub Chowki police are interrupting their day to day business and impeding them from functioning effectively. They say that the police stop and search the vehicles on an arbitrary basis and arrest the drivers without any justification.
The Hub Chowki police had reportedly intercepted a passenger bus travelling from Panjgur to Karachi a few days ago and found drugs inside it. The bus was seized and the driver was apprehended on drug trafficking charges.
The transporters, however, deny these charges. They say that the authorities are biased and therefore framing them. They said that the police themselves are involved in drug trafficking and they are now blaming the transporters for it.
The authorities have not yet commented on the protests. The highway is still blocked and no negotiations are in sight between the government and the transporters.