QUETTA: After seven “Haq do Tehreek” followers, including their leader Hussain Wadala, were detained by the police, the Coastal Highway was blocked in Gwadar’s Sarbandan area. The protesters want fewer border checkpoints, better border trade, and a complete ban on deep-sea fish fishing in the water near Gwadar.
Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman has been the movement’s leader for the approximately eight weeks that the protests have been taking place in Gwadar.
After the arrest of their leaders, the movement’s supporters reportedly stopped the Coastal Highway close to Sarbandan. Additionally, they have organised a strike in Gwadar and a Pasni protest in solidarity of the detained leaders.
Speaking on behalf of the Balochistan government, spokesperson Farah Azeem explained that after the protesters attempted to close the Gwadar port, the police intervened and detained a number of them. She continued by saying that the movement’s outlook is controversial.
The National Party (NP), in the meantime, has denounced the detention and police action against the demonstrators and demanded the immediate release of everybody detained by the police.
The government should engage in genuine discussions with the protestors and their leadership, according to NP General Secretary Muhammad Jan Buledi. Last year, the administration made certain pledges in response to a month-long protest march in the port city, but the problems remained unresolved.
A committee was once more established by the government to talk with the movement’s leadership, but until Saturday no progress was made.The strike and sit-in in Gwadar are being attempted to end through discussions, according to Balochistan’s Minister of the Interior, Mir Ziaullah Lango, who also noted that dialogue is the best approach to find solutions.
He continued by saying that DC Gwadar, DIG, and Commissioner Karachi had been instructed to speak with the protesters in hopes of breaking the standoff.
