GWADAR: Thousands of people staged a sit-in in the port city on Tuesday after the ending of the deadline given for acceptance of demands presented by leaders of the “Gwadar Ko Haq Do” movement.

The protest was led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch, the secretary general of Jamaat-i-Islami’s Balochistan chapter. The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with their demands.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Baloch said they had given the deadline for the acceptance of their demands concerning the rights of the people of Gwadar.

“We want our legitimate rights, which are in accordance with the Constitution,” he said. “As Pakistanis, we want the government to provide basic facilities to the people of not only Gwadar but entire Makran.”

“We are not against any institution, but we won’t tolerate insult to our mothers and sisters. We are against those who don’t allow our youths to even go to the playground,” Maulana Baloch said.

He said illegal fishing was still rampant despite protests, and one could see large fishing trawlers across the coast from Ormara to Gwadar. Illegal fishing was destroying the marine life and depriving the local fishermen of their livelihood, he stressed.

He also bemoaned the fact that the fisheries department, Coast Guards, Maritime Security Agency and other institutions concerned had failed to stop illegal fishing.

Maulana Baloch also highlighted insufficient health facilities, shortage of potable water and lack of jobs for the educated youth as some other major problems facing the people of Gwadar.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2021