In the rapidly developing industrial city of Gwadar in Balochistan, protesters belonging to the “Haq Do Gwadar movement” are demanding the rights of the people of the area. According to Pakistani media, negotiations with the provincial government have failed, but this is not entirely true.
The Haq Do movement demanded that the Chinese nationals working for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should leave the country by Thursday. It has been two months since protesters staged a dharna at the entrance of Gwadar Port, blocking the Gwadar East Bay Expressway.
The Haq Do movement in Gwadar has succeeded in attracting international media attention. The Pakistani government is trying to somehow negotiate with the protesters. According to the information obtained by this author, the negotiations seems to be on the way to success, subject to proper attention paid by the government.
The good thing is that the group of protestors demanding rights for the people of Gwadar is not going to violent protests and the protest which has been going on for few weeks is completely peaceful and some of the demands they are making.
The fishing profession that has flourished in Balochistan for centuries needs attention and respecting the rights of the people whose livelihood is dependent on fishing should be the first priority of the government. According to my sources, the fishermen have been assured of their rights, but it has not been fully implemented.
The government imposed an embargo on deep-sea trawlers, which is one side of the negotiations, while the other side is related to checking and security arrangements until the activities of the banned outfit BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) in Balochistan are stopped.
This is an aspect of the security of the province which apparently does not seem to be related to the Haq Do Gwadar movement, but it has its own importance. The reason for the government’s concern is that militant groups like the BLA should not take advantage of the ongoing protests and public gatherings in Gwadar to cause any untoward incident.
The threat of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is also seen by the international media, and due to these threats may also affect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, has been declared a red line by Pakistan, while the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) which includes India in the pack and Indian interests will also be associated with it going forward.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has clearly stated in its charter that the supply chain should be opened to all member countries so that projects like CPEC not only bring prosperity and development to the local people, but the region and especially Pakistan. . It is important that special attention is paid to CSR in CPEC because neglecting such small matters can damage the mega project.
All the companies working on the CPEC project have assured the implementation of CSR that as the project progresses, the CSR will also be increased and the members of the Haq Do Gwadar movement also participated in the demonstration.
For example, Pakistan cannot trade with Iran due to the international ban on transactions, which is their demand. Around 500 Chinese nationals are present in Gwadar and the protestors who are part of the movement have given them a deadline to leave the country.
My analysis says that Chinese nationals are not going to leave the country under the deadline on Thursday or this year. There has been progress in the ongoing negotiations between the protesters and the government. The government will accept most of the protesters’ demands and Chinese citizens will continue to be allowed to stay here.
The Haq Do Gwadar movement is a sensitive issue and the government and government institutions should deal with it very far-sighted otherwise not only domestic but also foreign factors who are behind sabotaging CPEC will benefit from such protests.Â
It should be noted that the first priority of the US foreign policy is to contain China and obviously CPEC is a key part of the Belt and Road and if seen in the global political context, any kind of slowdown in it will benefit the US.
Translated by: M.M. News Editorial Team
