GWADAR: Traffic between Turbat and Karachi was suspended after the family members and workers of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) blocked the highway at two points on Friday to protest the disappearance of two persons.

The family members have been staging the protest for the last week at Fida Shaheed Chowk, demanding the recovery of Zareef Umar and Naveed Hameed, who have been missing for 10 days.

However, they shifted their protest sit-in from Shaheed Fida Baloch to Jadgal D-Baloch Chowk at M-8 on Friday suspending all kinds of traffic between Turbat and Karachi.

Officials said that all entry and exit points of Turbat were closed. The local administration did not immediately approach the protesters to resolve the issue.

Gwadar sit-in enters 20th day as leaders seek acceptance of demands

Protest rallies and sit-ins continued in Gwadar, Turbat and Panjgur against enforced disappearances and alleged human rights violations.

In Panjgur, the BYC took out a procession, with participants marching on different roads and chanting slogans against the government. Family members of the missing individuals, Haq Do Tehreek Chairman Mullah Farhad Baloch and civil society member Nadir Baloch spoke on the occasion.

They demanded immediate recovery of both the missing persons and said that abducting individuals, dumping bodies and then inviting for dialogue under the guise of the Constitution and law represented double standards, which was unacceptable.

Besides, the sit-in organised by the Gwadar All-Parties Alliance entered its 20th day in Gwadar as the leaders refused to call off the protest until acceptance of their demands.

Despite the prolonged sit-in, neither the provincial government nor the district administration initiated meaningful dialogue to address the protesters’ concerns.

For years, there have been complaints of illegal fishing in Gwadar’s maritime boundaries, which has severely impacted the livelihoods of local fishermen. Moreover, individuals dependent on border trade expressed concerns that increasing restrictions on trade-related activities are worsening their economic hardships.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025