Pakistan: Bal Road Chits imposes night travel ban on major highways after safety issues | World News
Bal Road and Chinchi Province: The Bal Road and Chinchi Province government has imposed night travel bans on major highways in several regions, mainly affecting public transportation to deal with rising safety issues. The move comes after the rise in terrorist attacks targeting passengers across the province, with multiple fatal incidents reported this year.
Authorities in the Gwadar, Kachhi, Zhob, Noshki and Musakhel regions have issued official notices to limit night travel. Similarly, the Quetta government directed that public transport from cities would not be allowed to operate at night. “The decision to ban travel on the Karachi-Quetta Expressway (N-25), also known as the RCD Expressway, also known as the RCD Expressway, also known as the nighttime, has taken Balochistan from Sindh,” said the official after chairing the meeting on the issue. The officials also stressed that the transportation schedule should be adjusted to prevent delays to ensure timely departure and arrival.
“The trackers and CCTV cameras in all buses and coaches will remain functional, while the transporter is told to work with government instructions.” Travel restrictions apply to multiple highways and have specific timing regulations. In a notice issued on March 28, Deputy Commissioner of Guadal (DC) Hamoodur Rehman announced that public transport (N-10) on the Markland coastal highway will be prohibited from night operations until further notice. The order is for passenger safety and also set up a designated departure window for buses traveling between Karachi, Guadal and Quetta to ensure they reach their destination before nightfall.
Similarly, the notice from Kachhi DC Jahanzaib Langove prohibits all public and private transport companies from traveling on the Quetta-Sukkur Expressway (N-65) between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. This restriction effectively cuts off night trips between Bal Luzhin and Sindh. Vehicles trying to travel within the limited time will stop at checkpoints – racing cars from Sibi to Quetta will stop at Nari River Bank in Sibi, while those traveling in the opposite direction will stop at Kolpur.
In Zub, DC Mehboob Ahmad issued an order to prevent public buses and coaches from crossing the area on the N-50 National Highway, which connects Quetta to Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 6pm to 6am. The ban was reportedly effective from March 27 and will continue until further directives.
Other major highways have been further restricted. Noshki DC Amjad Soomro and Musakhel DC Juma dad Mandokhail prohibit night trips on the Quetta-Taftan (N-40) and Multan-Loralai (N-70) highways, with operating hours limiting 6am to 6pm. According to Shahid Rind, spokesman for the Bal Road Chitmoku government, “Since January 1, the national expressway has been closed 76 times for various reasons.”
In the context of escalating armed violence in the region, enhanced security measures have been taken. The banned Bal Luzhi People’s Liberation Army (BLA) has been identified as a key actor in the recent horror incident. Just recently, armed personnel blocked Guadal’s coastal highway, evacuated six passengers from Karachi-bound buses and killed them – all of whom were from Punjab.
Earlier this month, the Jafar Express train was hijacked, killing 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel. During the rescue operation, five more security personnel were killed. Another attack occurred in February, where militants stopped their vehicles on the Quetta-Suker Expressway (N-65) in Boland and seized weapons from Mir Mir Liaquat Ali Lehri, secretary of the Parliament of Bal Road. According to Dawn, seven Punjab passengers were forcibly boarded the bus from the bus and executed in the Barkhan district of Bal Road Chistan Province in the same month.
Violence follows a pattern of attacks in recent years. In August 2023, militants carried out a coordinated attack in Bal Road Chincheon Province, killing 23 travelers who were bus and trucking from Musakhel district. In April 2024, another attack occurred when gunmen ambushed the Quetta-Taftan Expressway (N-40) near Noshki, where nine passengers were evacuated from the bus and executed.
