Negotiations between a government committee and representatives of the families of police personnel martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack resumed on Monday after a one‑day hiatus at a sit‑in protest camp in Quetta.
The sit‑in at Koila Phatak entered its fifth day, with families of the deceased officers and camp organisers staying seated alongside the bodies of seven officers, refusing to bury them until their demands are met. They demanded justice for the victims of terrorism.
The families’ demands include the establishment of an independent, empowered judicial commission to investigate the Ziarat terrorist attack.
They also seek the eradication of terrorist groups from Ziarat, Harnai, Hanna Urak, Shaban, Zarghoon and other affected areas, as well as the restoration of the Levies Force.
The government delegation held talks with representatives of the All Parties Alliance and the victims’ families. Negotiations continued late into the night, while political party leaders, civil society members and tribal elders visited the protest site throughout the day.
Senior politician and former Senator Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani addressed the demonstrators, urging a grand jirga to tackle Balochistan’s political and security challenges. He linked recent bloodshed in Pashtun areas to land acquisition and resource policies under the Mines and Minerals Act and the Defence Housing Authority Act, calling it part of a seven‑decade cycle of violence.
Mr. Raisani argued that the DHA Act would displace local tribes around Quetta, aiming to settle outsiders who could later hold key offices, and criticised the Mines and Minerals Act for potentially stripping Baloch people of control over natural resources.
Stressing that there is no division between Baloch and Pashtun communities, he denounced attempts to create ethnic divisions and said he and ex‑CM Nawab Raisani are prepared to convene a large jirga to discuss Balochistan’s future.
Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026
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