QUETTA / GWADAR: Balo­chistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove has directed the province’s police to register a case against Haq Do Tehreek leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman after a policeman was shot dead by unidentified assailants during a demonstration in Gwadar.

The killing of the policeman came a day after dozens of HDT protesters were rounded up by the police after talks between the protesters and the government failed to end the two-month-long sit-in led by Mr Rehman.

The situation in the city remained tense on Tuesday as well. Roads linking the port city with other parts of the province remained blocked as protesters continued to agitate for their demands.

According to sources, the protesters demanding the release of their comrades arrested by police on Monday tried to enter the office of the DIG Makran Range, located near Syed Hashmi Chowk, but they were pushed back by police.

Balochistan govt to register case against HDT leader; protesters accuse govt of fomenting violence

Sources claimed when the protesters reached Syed Has­hmi Chowk, shots fired by unknown individuals injured a police constable, identified as Yasir Saeed. A doctor at Gwadar Development Autho­rity Hospital, after examining the body of the policeman who had succumbed to injuries, said Constable Yasir received one bullet in the neck. It proved fatal.

Yasir Saeed Ari, 21, a resident of Nasirabad, had joined the police force only a year ago and was posted in the port city of Gwadar. Police officials said that Constable Yasir was deployed for the protection of the protestors when he was shot in the neck. The body of the police constable would be brought to Dera Murad Jamali on Wednesday and would be buried in his native village.

Volatile situation

In view of the volatile situation in the port city, the provincial government deployed extra contingents of police in and around the port and other sensitive areas. Meanwhile, the HDT leader blamed the government for the violence in the port city. In a tweet, he said that the HDT movement had remained peaceful for two months. He claimed the government was resorting to violence after caving into the demands of the “mafia”.

It may be noted here that HDT chief Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has refused to call off the protest till the acceptance of their demands. Among the protestors’ demands are stopping illegal fishing by trawlers in Balochistan’s maritime boundaries, recovery of missing persons, maximum concessions in border trade with Iran, end to narcotics, and other Gwadar-related issues.

Condemnation

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and Home Minister Ziaullah Langove condemned the killing of the policeman and vowed action against miscreants. They claimed that despite the efforts of the provincial government to resolve issues through negotiations, the HDT leader “provoked the people to take the law into their hands”.

“The elements involved in firing and killing of police constable would not be spared and soon would be brought to justice,” they said and added that the government would not tolerate violence.

Inspector General Police Abdul Khaliq Sheikh also took notice of the firing on police and ordered the arrest of elements involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Balochistan police said that the HDT leader was “resorting to violence” to achieve his political goals. In a statement issued late evening, the spokesperson said police were making all-out efforts to protect the lives and property of the general public.

Ali Jan Mangi in Dera Murad Jamali also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022