Balochistan witnessed a partial shutdown on Sunday (February 8, 2026), while the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh “gave a mixed response to Pakistan’s opposition call for protests to mark the anniversary of the February 8, 2024 general elections.” The call for total shutdown and traffic strike was made by Tehreek-e-Tahfooz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), a united front of all opposition political parties, including jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
After the general elections on February 8, 2024, Mr. Khan called the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ‘mandate thieves’, accusing them of rigging the polls to steal their party’s seats by manipulating the results to come to power.
Wheels of Insurgency: On Pakistan and the Baloch Insurgency
TTAP leaders echoed the sentiment when they called for a nationwide shutter down and traffic strike on Sunday (February 8, 2026).
Hafiz Ziaullah, a senior member of Balochistan chapter of Jamiat Ulema Fazlur Rehman group, said normal life was disrupted in Balochistan’s capital Quetta and other parts of the province and public transport was off the roads with all markets closed.
Supporters of various units of the TTAP movement staged demonstrations at multiple locations, blocking highways and main roads leading in and out of Quetta as the government ordered heavy police and border corps deployment.
A number of protesters were arrested during clashes with law enforcement agencies, which further escalated tensions, police said.
Violence in Balochistan
Balochistan was rocked by massive violence when at least 216 terrorists, 36 civilians and 22 personnel were killed in the days-long operation that began on January 26 in response to terrorist attacks in many parts of the province.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Mr. Khan’s PTI is the ruling party, whose followers have also demanded the release of their jailed founder, but received a lukewarm response across the province.
In Peshawar, the situation was tense in different parts of the city; However, police said the overall situation is under control.
The call for a bandh drew mixed reactions from traders and the public. While shops were closed in some areas, business activities continued as usual in several areas.
Local media reports said that in some areas, shops were forcibly closed during the strike, causing anxiety among residents.
Despite this, the Peshawar shutter-down failed to be a complete success as a large number of traders did not support the call and day-to-day commercial activities continued partially, a party leader said.
However, despite the restriction of public traffic in major commercial hubs of the city, it was not completely shut down, strict security measures were in place during the band-down protests and no major untoward incident was reported, the administration said.
In Punjab, the TTAP and PTI failed to stage any significant demonstration as calls for protest were eclipsed by the three-day Basant festival (February 6 and 8) announced by the provincial government in Lahore.
Clearly sensing the mood of people, especially those from Lahore, due to Basant fever, PTI Punjab on Saturday asked its supporters to “suspend outdoor activity and remain at home in the form of silent agitation”. However, the party had called on traders and transporters to shut down markets and transport but even on Sunday, a weekly holiday in Punjab, almost all establishments remained open.
“Punjab Police arrested more than 100 Imran Khan supporters on Saturday and Sunday in connection with the PTI protest,” an official told PTI on Sunday (February 8, 2026).
Police also attacked those who tried to take out torch-bearing rallies in different parts of the province, he said.
Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said that the people of Lahore celebrated Basant with enthusiasm and completely rejected the call for protest. “It was a successful Basant and a flop PTI show,” he said in a statement.
On the other hand, PTI Punjab chief organizer Alia Hamza condemned the Punjab Police for arresting PTI activists and harassing their families during police raids.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram posted on Raja X: “No tyrant can compare to 250 million. It’s a day of mourning for stolen vote and terrorism in Balochistan and Islamabad.” Shafi John, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, said, “The successful wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the country is a public rally against mandate-stealing governments.” He said that it is a referendum.
“Two years ago, people gave PTI founder chairman Imran Khan an enormous mandate, but unfortunately this public mandate was stolen and puppet rulers were imposed on people in the Federation, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh,” he said.
Mr John said Sunday’s successful wheel-jam and shutter-down strike was the first clear step and message of the public towards the end of fake governments.
