Govt places ban on pillion riding in Quetta

QUETTA: The provincial government has placed a ban on pillion riding and display of weapons in Quetta for ten days owing to security concerns.

Pillion riding and display of all kinds of weapons are prohibited for ten days in the provincial capital, said a statement issued by the Balochistan’s home department.

It said the ban has been imposed in light of reports of intelligence agencies, which is aimed to maintain law and order in the city.

The department clarified that elderly citizens, security personnel and journalists have been exempted from the restriction on pillion riding.

Balochistan, a strategically important region bordering Iran as well as Afghanistan, has witnessed terrorists attacks by Sunni Islamist sectarian groups linked to the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamic State.

It also has seen an indigenous ethnic Baloch insurgency fighting against the central government.