QUETTA: Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who led the ‘Gwadar Ko Haqooq Do’ movement — an over month-long protest sit-in demanding rights for the port city — has warned the Balochistan government that if the accord the government signed with him and other leaders of the movement for ending the sit-in is not implemented, they would organise a long march against it in Quetta.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, he said besides many other demands, the recovery of missing persons was also included in the accord. Senior leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami, Balochistan, Dr Ataur Rehman, Maulana Noorullah and others were present on the occasion.

Maulana Hidayat, who is also the provincial general secretary of Jamaat-i-Islami, said that abolishing security check-posts in the province, an end to misuse of Balochistan’s natural resources, eradication of the smuggling of drugs, giving Balochistan its due share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were among demands of the ‘Gwadar Ko Haqooq Do’ movement.

He accused the provincial minister for fisheries of taking bribe for allowing illegal fishing in Balochistan’s coastal areas and sought his removal from the provincial cabinet. “Bureaucracy is serious in solving problems of the province, but the political leadership is not showing any seriousness in this regard,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2022