Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday (12th December) that the demands of the community living in the coastal area of Gawadar were legitimate. Furthermore, the Prime Minister added that he will take up the matter with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo.
Prime Minister Khan’s intervention came about a month after Gwadar fishermen took to the streets to demand that the government comply with their demands, which included an end to illicit fishing.
The Prime Minister posted on Twitter and said, “I have taken notice of the very legitimate demands of hardworking fishermen of Gwadar. Will be taking strong action against illegal fishing by trawlers and will speak to CM Balochistan.”
The leader of the Gwadar protest movement Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, along with CM Bizenjo agreed with PM’s tweet, however, pointed out that the real problem is with the fulfillment of promises.
Meanwhile, a senator from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) told a state-run television program that some of the local fishermen’s demands were unreasonable. Senator Abdul Qadir, who hails from Balochistan, said, “If some of these demands are met, the government will have to provide such facilities to all people of the country.”
Protests by fishermen
Fishermen in significant numbers, as well as women and children, have been protesting on the Gwadar coastlines for the past 28 days, urging the necessary authorities to take action the following actions:
- Elimination of illegal fishing by travelers.
- Removal of Gwadar Development Authority director general as well as Pasni’s deputy commissioners and assistant commissioner.
- Cross-border trade with Iran.
- Provision of clean drinking water.
- Closure of wine shops.
- Job quota for disabled.
- Free 300 units of electricity.
The Gawadar protests are led by Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who is the general secretary of the Jamaat-i-Islami. In addition, the protesters have taken a vow that they will not step down until their demands are met. Furthermore, they blocked roads and other places in the spirit of the protest by holding and managing rallies and sit-ins.
Mir Ziaullah Langau, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Home and Tribal Affairs, told a PTV show that the Balochistan government has already met most of their 19 demands and promised to take harsh action against the illegal trawlers gang.
In response to one of the three remaining complaints, the CM’s aide stated that Maulana Rehman had recently conceded during a meeting that illegal trawler fishing had ‘declined,’ but that he feared a resurgence if the protesters concluded their sit-in.
The adviser said he had informed the protesters that the Customs Act had been used to seize their boats and vehicles and that it was an act of the federal government that was “outside the domain of the Balochistan government.”
Senator Abdul Qadir, during an interview, said some of the demands of the protestors were ‘unacceptable’. In addition, he said, “If some of these demands are met, the government will have to provide such facilities to all people of the country. For example, fishermen are demanding free 300 units of electricity, cross-border trade with Iran, and use of non-custom duty paid cars.” Furthermore, he said that the people of Gawadar have already been enjoying such facilities which were mostly unavailable to those residing in other parts of Balochistan.
According to the senator, some ‘anti-state’ elements are inciting fishermen to oppose the government in order to cause disturbance in the port city.
The head of the Gwadar rights movement praised PM Khan’s tweet, stating, “We are not obstinate and believe in solving difficulties.” He stated that the demonstration will continue as people awaited meaningful steps to address all of the reasonable requests.
He said the PM did not talk about some other important issues including:
- Opening of the border.
- Power and water issues.
- Return of the confiscated boats and vehicles.
Furthermore, he said, “We want implementation as our people are deprived of their livelihoods due to the restrictions” adding that even though the official notifications have been issued by the provincial government, but no step had been taken to fulfill the promises.
According to the views of Maulana Rehman, the protest is most likely to continue until two major demands of the protestors are accepted:
- Action against trawler mafia.
- Cross-border trade with Iran.
CM Bizenjo elaborated that the assurance provided by the Prime Minister was encouraging. Furthermore, he elaborated that the demands put forth by the protestors come under the provincial government, and the demands were already being implemented as per its policy. He said, “Relevant provincial departments are ensuring prevention of illegal fishing and trawling.”
Moreover, he stated that needless checkpoints and the border trade token system had already been eliminated. He said that wine shop licenses had been revoked in Gwadar and that funds had been freed to address urgent drinking water issues as well as the Gwadar old city development plan.
The CM, while staying hopeful for the successful fulfillment of the demands of the protestors said, “Some other demands, including electricity, are related to the federal government,” which are most likely to get attention with better coordination between relevant departments and agencies to curb illegal trawling.
The Secretary-General of the National Party Mir Jan Mohammad Buledi urged that meaningful negotiations must be held between the protestors and the government.
Balochistan Solidarity Day was also marked on the call of the chief of Jammat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq. Furthermore, rallies were also staged in other parts of the province in respect of solidarity day.
Protest demonstrations were staged in:
- Quetta.
- Dera Murad Jamali.
- Jaffarabad.
- Zhob.
- Sui.
- Dera Bugti.
- Bela.
- Khuzdar.
- Duki and several other districts.
