Transporters from Punjab have warned that repeated attacks on vehicles carrying LPG, coal, fuel and other resources from Balochistan are causing heavy losses and could force companies in Punjab to shut down.
Speaking at a press conference, the transporters said Punjab relied on Balochistan for LPG and coal supplies, but repeated attacks on highways had made transportation increasingly difficult and costly.
They appealed to the Government of Pakistan to deploy motorway police in Balochistan on the pattern of Punjab, saying their vehicles, drivers and investments needed protection.
The warning comes after several incidents in different parts of Balochistan in which vehicles carrying LPG, coal, fuel and minerals were set on fire during highway blockades and attacks by Baloch pro-independence armed groups.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed several blockades and attacks across Balochistan, including in Kharan, Quetta, Mastung, Noshki and Panjgur, as part of what it has described as an “economic blockade”.
In an earlier statement, the BLA said its campaign was aimed at turning Balochistan into an “inevitable economic burden” for the Pakistani state.
“Until Balochistan is transformed into an inevitable economic burden for the occupying state, it is impossible to halt its blind military adventurism and the horrific cycle of Baloch genocide,” the group said.
In May this year, after announcing the “economic blockade,” the BLA said it would not allow vehicles carrying what it called “looted Baloch resources and minerals” to pass through key highways.
“We will no longer, under any circumstances, allow trucks, trailers or convoys carrying looted Baloch resources and minerals to pass through here,” the BLA said.