All Parties Musakhel Announces Highway Blockade on August 21 Over Proposed Boundary Changes
Quetta: Leaders of the All Parties Musakhel alliance have announced plans to block the National Highway on August 21 if the government does not withdraw the notification transferring Union Councils Rara Sham and Andar Par from Musakhel district to Barkhan district.
The announcement was made during a joint press conference at the Quetta Press Club by JUI-F provincial vice president Maulana Muhammad Sarwar Musakhel, Musakhel PTI president and District Council Chairman Alam Khan, PkMAP representatives Malik Eid Muhammad and Dilawar Khan, PML-N leader Rehmat Khah, Chief of Gharshin Sardar Asad-ul-Zaman, Union Council Chairman Malik Atta Muhammad Buzdar, and other leaders.
The alliance stated that it would continue its campaign and protests until the notification is withdrawn. They warned that if their demands are not accepted, they will stage a blockade of the National Highway at Rara Sham on August 21 and expand the protest movement if necessary.
The speakers described Musakhel as one of the most underdeveloped districts in Pakistan and Balochistan, attributing its challenges to what they called a series of administrative decisions imposed over the years.
They outlined the district’s administrative history, stating that Musakhel had previously been attached to Zhob, Barkhan, and Loralai before being granted district status after a prolonged public campaign. They also claimed that the district’s status and provincial assembly representation had been altered on multiple occasions, with its provincial assembly seat abolished in 2018.
The leaders alleged that the latest decision to transfer the two union councils to Barkhan was politically motivated and opposed by local residents. They said they plan to meet the Governor and Chief Minister of Balochistan to seek the withdrawal of the notification before proceeding with the planned protest.
They warned that if the government fails to reverse the decision, demonstrations would intensify beyond the August 21 highway blockade.
