Anjuman-e-Tajran Balochistan has called for the removal of Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoints from central Quetta and changes to roadside searches at Baleli Customs, the bypass and Lak Pass.
The association’s president, Rahim Agha, general secretary Wali Afghan and other members questioned why checkpoints had been established near the railway station and Askari Park.
They said posts were generally placed at a city’s entrances and exits, whereas people were now being stopped within Quetta and made to wait for hours.
Rahim Agha said the delays affected patients travelling to hospital, including those in ambulances, as well as students, employees and traders.
Quetta residents were already facing insecurity, inflation, electricity shortages and traffic congestion, he said, adding that measures intended to protect them should also respect their convenience, dignity and time.
The association also objected to raids on traders’ premises and the confiscation of goods. Rahim Agha questioned how smuggled products reached markets despite the number of checkpoints across Quetta and Balochistan, while traders carrying tax records and receipts were stopped on the roads.
He called for action against those involved in smuggling, but challenged the treatment of businesses operating with the documents required by the government.
“If the government collects taxes, issues documents and permits businesses to operate, it should explain the justification for stopping traders carrying those documents and interfering with their businesses.”
Rahim Agha said senior officials had previously assured the association that goods transported from Quetta to other districts would not be confiscated without justification if traders had tax records and receipts. The assurances had brought no significant change, he said.
The association urged the Balochistan chief minister, the corps commander and the FC inspector general to remove unnecessary checkpoints from central Quetta and revise checking procedures on surrounding routes. Rahim Agha said the FC should focus on security and leave customs matters to the relevant authorities.