Customs and Forces Raid Quetta Commercial Centers, Traders Demand End to “Economic Massacre

**Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta):**
A meeting of affected traders, shopkeepers, and business community members was held in **Hazar Ganji, Quetta**, under the chairmanship of **Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Central General Secretary of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP)**, to address recent **raids by customs and security forces** on warehouses, commercial centers, and markets in the city.

During the meeting, traders presented the ongoing situation, highlighting repeated raids by **customs, FC, police, and other government agencies**, which have led to **looting of commercial goods** and severe financial losses. Speakers at the meeting included **Abdul Rahim Kakar, President of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Balochistan; Kabir Afghan, PMAP Provincial General Secretary; Soorat Khan Kakar; Hazrat Ali Achakzai; Syed Abdul Khaliq Agha; Najeeb Kakar; Haji Yasin Mengal; Syed Muhammad Jan Agha; Haji Din Muhammad Aka; and Haji Hazrat Khan**, among others.

They said that for a long time, the **commercial community of Quetta and public livelihoods** have been under attack by government institutions. The **Durand Line trade** and associated businesses, the main source of income for thousands, are being systematically targeted, leaving citizens in economic distress.

The speakers criticized the ongoing **night raids on warehouses, showrooms, markets, and commercial centers** in areas including **Hazar Ganji, New Adda Satellite Town, and Sariab Road**, carried out by hundreds of armed forces, causing **billions of rupees in losses**. They said that **customs and other forces have no legal right** to raid markets or seize commercial goods within the city.

They also raised concerns over **valuable vehicles being confiscated from major showrooms** by senior officers for personal use, creating a sense of insecurity within the trader community.

PMAP and the central **Anjuman-e-Tajiran** pledged to facilitate **protests and collective action** to address the problems of traders and the public. The speakers noted that in the early hours of the previous night, shops in **New Adda Satellite Town** were forcibly broken into by state forces at 2:30 a.m., prompting **prolonged protests by traders and locals** who guarded their businesses until morning.

The meeting concluded with a unanimous agreement to take **concrete and joint measures** to resolve the issues faced by Quetta’s traders and protect their economic interests.