GWADAR: The leader of Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek [Movement for rights of Gwadar], Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and resources of Balochistan belong to the people of Balochistan and no person, however powerful, will be allowed to deprive the people of their legitimate and legal rights.

Speaking at a meeting of fishermen in Ormara, he said nobody would be allowed to rob sea resources as it was the right of local fishermen to earn their livelihood from Balochistan sea waters.

Maulana Rehman warned the chief minister and provincial government that if the agreement reached between the government and the movement leaders was not honoured and implemented by the government, the movement would stage a massive protest sit-in of more than one million people in Quetta after three months.

“Our struggle will continue till all check-posts of security forces are removed and illegal fishing in Balochistan sea waters by trawlers was stopped,” Maulana Rehman said.

He said that Balochistan fishermen had been deprived of their livelihood because of illegal fishing by trawlers and they had plundered resources of Balochistan’s sea.

“Resources of the province are ours, Balochistan is ours, CPEC is ours, the beach is ours and Gwadar Port is also ours,” he said, adding that the city of Ormara belonged to local people and it was not the private property of any person, but it was the collective property of the people of Balochistan.

“From now on, if the Pakistan Navy builds a fence, it will have to ask the people of Ormara or else we will cut the fence and destroy it,” the maulana declared.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2021