An operation begun yesterday by Pakistani authorities to disperse the protestors opposing the government’s stringent visa policy at the Pakistan-Afghan border which resulted in multiple arrests.
The sit-in protest was ongoing for four months and it escalated after the protestors blocked the entrance to the Chaman passport office with a container on Sunday and Monday night.
The local administration and the Frontier Corps (FC) moved to take down the barricades and arrested key figures, including a well-known protest leader Sadiq Achakzai. The traffic was severely disrupted as a result of calls for a shutter-down strike and the closure of the Chaman-Quetta international highway.
The protesters threw stones at the FC fort during more altercations outside the District Police Officer’s (DPO) office. Even after FC staff used tear gas to scatter the protestors, many of them persisted, indicating their intent to carry out the demonstration.Protests have been ongoing since the government’s strict visa policy has led to widespread job losses in Chaman and increased unrest at the border.
