Negotiations Successful, Sit-in Ends: Government Team Assures Arrest of Killers of Prominent Businessman Hashim Khan Noorzai

On Saturday morning, prominent businessman Muhammad Hashim Khan Noorzai was on his way from his home to his hotel when unidentified armed men opened fire on Airport Road and killed him.
Following the incident, his family members and local residents blocked the Quetta-Chaman International Highway to all traffic. Within minutes, thousands of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road, and thousands of people staged a sit-in on the road amid intense heat.
After the incident, various political parties of Balochistan, tribal elders, the business community, and people from different schools of thought joined the sit-in. Several rounds of negotiations held throughout the day ended without any announcement. In the evening, decisive negotiations were resumed, attended by senior officials of the Balochistan government and police. They assured the protesters that all measures would be taken to arrest the killers of Hashim Khan Noorzai.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti took strict notice of the incident, sought an immediate report from the IG Police, and expressed sorrow over the incident.
Meanwhile, various parties of Balochistan strongly condemned the incident, stating that the Balochistan government has completely failed to maintain law and order. “First, businesses were destroyed here, and now traders are being martyred, they said.
The deceased had established a magnificent restaurant of international standard named “Kabul Hotel” in Quetta, which employed more than 400 local unemployed people. Speaking to the media, his brothers and his friend Najibullah said, “We had no enmity with anyone, we are businessmen, but we demand the arrest of the killers from the government.
After successful negotiations, Haji Aminullah Khan Noorzai, head of the Noorzai tribe, addressed the participants and thanked all those who took part in the protest, including political, tribal, and social leaders. He said that negotiations with the administration had been successful, and “we now announce the end of the strike.