QUETTA: The recent heavy rains and the resultant flash floods in the port city of Gwadar have not only left thousands homeless but also laid bare the government’s “corruption” and “tall claims” of development, Balochistan MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman said on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference, he detailed the ongoing struggles of Gwadar’s residents and lamented that the rain-hit people continue to receive utility bills despite the district being declared a calamity-hit zone.

Mr Rehman, also the leader of the Haq Do Tehreek (HDT), demanded that the government stop such billings and called for the waiver of both utility bills and agricultural loans to alleviate people’s suffering.

Several homes and mosques were still inundated, Mr Rehman said and criticised the glaring disparity between the once lofty comparison of Gwadar to Singapore and its current devastated state, which he attributed to the government’s corruption and inefficacy.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the relief efforts, demanded urgent measures to rescue Gwadar from the clutches of the “trawler mafia” and the closure of borders, and called for compensation for those affected by the rains.

“I have informed Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti about the trawler mafia. Gwadar has turned to ruins now. The government should take the matter seriously,” he said. “I will support whoever resolves Gwadar’s issues. But if our demands are not met, we will protest inside the Balochistan Assembly and on the streets of Gwadar.”

Mr Rehman also recounted the origins and achievements of the Haq Do Tehreek, which was initiated in Gwadar some three years ago to champion fundamental rights and organised unprecedented rallies and sit-ins despite arrests.

He noted that in the local bodies and general elections, the people of Gwadar had rejected the capitalist class that had dominated Gwadar for 40 years.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024