Pakistani forces detained several shopkeepers in Panjgur on Wednesday after they kept their businesses closed in response to a strike called by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), local sources said.
The shopkeepers were taken away for questioning and later released, the sources said. Most businesses reopened after the detentions, although several shops remained closed and a partial shutdown continued.
Shopkeepers said they were facing pressure over their participation in the strike.
The BYC had called a shutter-down strike across Balochistan on Wednesday to protest against life sentences handed to its central organiser, Dr Mahrang Baloch, and leader Sibghatullah Shahji by an anti-terrorism court in Quetta.
The shutdown was observed in Quetta, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Kech, Hub Chowki, Kharan, Panjgur, Dalbandin, Kalat, Washuk, Mastung, Noshki and other areas.
In a statement issued after the strike, the BYC thanked traders, political and social organisations, students and lawyers who took part, saying the shutdown had sent a “clear message” rejecting what it described as “unjust, controversial and politically motivated” verdicts.
The group said the strike was one stage of its campaign and that peaceful protests would continue until its detained leaders were released and what it called political retaliation against them ended.