QUETTA: The situation in Pakistan’s southwestern Chaman border town started to normalize on Saturday after violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies wounded about two dozen people and resulted in the arrest of more than 40 this week, as a senior Balochistan provincial minister issued a call for peace.
The violence followed a prolonged sit-in near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan after the residents of nearby areas decided to oppose an official decision that made it mandatory for all cross-border travelers to have a valid passport and visa.
Protesters, including political groups, traders and daily wage workers from the Chaman area, raised concerns about the restrictions, saying they were disrupting the local economy and the daily lives of families who historically moved freely across the frontier for trade, work and social reasons.
However, Pakistani authorities took the decision amid a surge in militant violence in the region which it attributed to proscribed groups based on Afghan soil. According to some reports, the clashes started after the law enforcement agencies attempted to disperse the sit-in.
Speaking to Arab News, Balochistan Home Minister Zia Ullah Langau appealed for peace while asking local communities to resolve their issues through dialogue.
“Rival [spy] agencies are stationed in Afghanistan and are using terrorists to destabilize peace in Pakistan,” he said. “While we recognize the economic issues facing our people in Chaman, ensuring the country’s security remains our top priority.”
He confirmed that a 13-year-old boy lost his life during the clashes after receiving a gunshot wound to his head.
Dr. Asmatullah Achakzai, Chaman’s district health officer, along with the health department spokesperson, declined to provide data on the number of wounded from the firing incidents that took place in Chaman.
However, one of the organizers of the sit-in claimed 30 people were wounded and many are missing, with their whereabouts unknown.
The provincial authorities called back the paramilitary personnel, deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident, as police took charge of the situation as per the demands of the protesters, making the town a bit calm.
However, Sharif Uddin, who sells boiled rice on the streets, said he had failed to find any customers during the last week.
“I urge the government to see our plight,” he said. “On one hand, the route to Spin Boldak [in Afghanistan] is closed, and on the other, we are forced to starve in Chaman. I have been taking debts to survive for months.”
