In an unprecedented move, tens of thousands of people, including women and children, marched on the main roads and streets of Gwadar and the common denominator was to solicit the attention of the authorities concerned over their plight. Led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, Balochistan general secretary of Jamaat-i-Islami, the people of the port city launched the ‘Gwadar ko haq do’ movement.
Decades of wilful neglect and political machinations by the state have seemingly left the people of the province resigned to their fate. But there is a tipping point for everything. That is what appears to be unfolding in Gwadar city where locals, as well as people from surrounding districts, have been protesting for close to a month — that too without a party flag in sight.
The movement has some 20 demands that it wants the provincial government to fulfil. Several of them pertain to the severe shortage of drinking water and the dire state of educational and health facilities in the area, as well as the devastating impact that illegal fishing by trawlers along the coast has had on the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Gwadar port has long been portrayed as the jewel in the CPEC crown. While Gwadar constitutes the bastion of big-ticket initiatives such as an evolving seaport and airport, it is ironic that the people are restless and protesting for basic civic amenities. This means the developmental mosaic is jaundiced and the locals are not on board.
The crescendo of voices demanding their rights is only growing louder and the mass of humanity gathering day after day in the port city shows no sign of dispersing. There is no point in keeping the locals out, and still expect trans-regionalism to flourish.
It is encouraging that Balochistan’s planning minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi has reported progress in talks with Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman. Additionally, China has also said that it was willing to work with Pakistan to ensure that the joint corridor project launched by the two countries would benefit the local population.
These words must be turned into action as it is not just a basic rights issue, but also concerns the future of our development and connectivity projects. The Balochistan government and the security establishment must take concrete, verifiable measures to address the protesters’ demands. Otherwise Gwadar could become the spark in a tinderbox of disaffection.
