ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/PESHAWAR/QUETTA:
The nationwide strike of wheel locks and locks called by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as the major shareholder, met with a mixed response across the country on Sunday.
While Quetta observed a near-total shutdown, parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw partial compliance and life largely continued as usual in Lahore and Islamabad.
The opposition alliance had announced this strike to mark the second anniversary of the general elections of February 8, 2024, which it continues to denounce as “rigged”, and to observe a day of mourning after Friday’s suicide attack against an imambargah in Islamabad which left at least 36 dead.
In Balochistan, this is the call that seems to have the most weight. Quetta witnessed a complete shutdown of shutters and gridlock of wheels, with shops, markets, malls and bazaars closed and traffic reduced to a trickle.
Mobile Internet services were once again suspended. PTI workers, along with activists of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) led by TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, staged protests in several areas of the provincial capital.
Clashes were reported in Brewery and Khaizi Chowk areas along the Western Bypass, where protesters blocked roads by burning tires and erecting barricades. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters and reopened roads after removing barricades.
Similar scenes were seen along the Eastern Ring Road, while a small protest near Airport Road was also dispersed. Incidents of stone throwing were reported in Chaman, injuring a police officer. The PTI Balochistan branch claimed that at least 40 TTAP workers were arrested during the day.
Reports from Chaman, Qila Saifullah, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Harnai, Duki, Ziarat, Kan Mehtarzai, Muslim Bagh, Loralai, Barkhan, Usta Muhammad and Nasirabad indicated small protest rallies and attempted roadblocks, which were largely dispersed by police.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the response has been uneven. A partial strike was observed in the interior of Peshawar city, with shops in Hashtnagri and Rampura closed, while markets in Qissa Khwani Bazaar remained largely open. The PTI held a rally at Chowk Yadgar, where banners were displayed and party leaders addressed their supporters.
PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan claimed a shutdown strike at Haripur Bazaar and a “total traffic jam of public transport wheels”, thanking trade and transport unions for supporting the call. In Shangla, large protest rallies took place in Bisham, Alpuri, Puran and surrounding areas, with partial closures reported.
Addressing the protesters, PTI leaders, including Shaukat Yousafzai, called the 2024 elections “the most controversial in Pakistan’s history” and pledged to continue a peaceful constitutional struggle.
However, in Punjab the strike failed to significantly disrupt daily life. In Lahore, markets showed typical Sunday activity, with most closures attributed to the weekly holidays and the last day of the Basant festival rather than the strike. Traffic remained normal.
The PTI called its approach a “silent agitation,” urging citizens to voluntarily stay at home, but the call was met with limited response.
In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, most markets remained open, including the weekly H-9 bazaar, which saw high footfall. Several merchants cited economic pressures as a reason for remaining open.
Even though metro and electric bus services were suspended, traffic in the capital remained largely unchanged.
Sindh also saw limited impact, with the closure of markets in Karachi coinciding with a public holiday. PTI leaders nevertheless claimed silent participation in the protests in several districts.
Despite the uneven response, PTI and TTAP leaders described the strike as politically significant. PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja called it a “constitutional method of expressing irritation with the system” and termed it a day of mourning for “stolen vote and terrorism”.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi congratulated his supporters for what he called a “successful” strike, calling for continued peaceful resistance.
On the other hand, the government rejected the appeal. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared “ZERO protest/strike/shutdown in Punjab”, while Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the public had rejected “incitement politics”.
Federal Minister Amir Muqam also said that the people of KP wanted development and not closure.
