Protest sit-in continues in Gwadar, 5,000 security personnel reach the area
Strict security measures have not been uncommon for the people of Gwadar, a coastal town in Balochistan, since the arrival of Chinese workers to build a port, but now the government has deployed more than 5,000 police in the face of sit-ins and protests.
People from Gwadar city and its environs say that this is the biggest deployment of police personnel in the context of a protest.
Suleiman Hashim, a local journalist in Gwadar, said there was no apparent fear in the city and at the sit-in due to heavy police presence.
Nisar Murad, another resident of Gwadar, said that sending a heavy contingent of police, it seems that the people here are not the priority of the government.
However, Balochistan's Adviser on Home and Tribal Affairs Mirza Ziaullah Lango said that the purpose of sending a heavy contingent of police was not to take action against anyone there but to deal with any untoward situation.
He said that the demands of the participants of the sit-in have been accepted so the sit-in should be called off.
However, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, leader of Haq Do Tehreek, under which the sit-in is being organized, said that if the government takes practical steps regarding the demands, we will not delay even a minute in ending the sit-in.
Deployment of police from outside areas in different areas of Gwadar
According to a notification from the police department, a total of 5,500 police personnel have been deployed in Gwadar from outside.
Of these, 2200 personnel belong to Balochistan Constabulary while the rest belong to regular police.
Regular police personnel have been deployed from Jaffarabad, Mastung, Ziarat, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Turbat, Naseerabad, Kalat, Kachhi, Kharan, Sibi and Lasbela.
In a video on social media, between Karachi and Gwadar and in Mara, some of the police personnel sent from outside have been accommodated in a government school and are seen in school rooms.
Gwadar is one of the areas in Balochistan where schools and other educational institutions have summer vacations.
Naseebullah Noshirwani, a resident of Sarbandan area, 25 km east of Gwadar city, said that when he was returning home after participating in sit-in last night, he stopped police vehicles on the coastal highway in Gwadar city. I saw them going towards.
What is the atmosphere like in Gwadar city especially after the arrival of heavy police force?
Suleiman Hashim, a local journalist in Gwadar, said that the general public and the participants of the sit-in were not intimidated by the arrival and deployment of heavy police force.
"The current sit-in in Gwadar is very peaceful. Not only has the sit-in been going on for the last 21 days, but three big rallies have been called for the 'Haq Do' movement, including historic rallies for children and women." ۔
He said that despite the sit-in, normal activities in the city have not changed. The shops are open but the business of the shopkeepers has increased near the sit-in.
He said that not a single glass was broken in the city during the sit-ins and related rallies but despite this a heavy contingent of police was deployed here which is beyond comprehension.
Suleiman Hashim said that when he asked a policeman from an area near Quetta why he had come here, he said that he did not know why he was brought here because apparently There is no such situation.
Naseebullah Noshirwani, a participant in the sit-in, said that the participants in the sit-in were not in any way intimidated by the deployment of additional police personnel.
He said that in view of the fear of any action against the sit-in, last night Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman had told the participants of the sit-in that if anyone wants to go, he has permission from them but he himself ended the sit-in till the demands are implemented. They will not do it even if they have to sit alone for it.
''After this announcement of Maulana, people became more emotional and they said that none of them will leave here''.
Nisar Murad, 33, a resident of Sadhu Band area of Gwadar city, said that last night the policemen did not come very close to the sit-in but a short distance away but this morning when they came they did not see any policemen near the sit-in.
"We have no fear of the police coming. We will continue to protest for our legitimate rights."
He said that the protest has been going on for three weeks but the cries of the people here are of no importance.
He said that delegations of ministers and government officials came here and said that the problems of the people of Gwadar would be solved in two or three days but no steps were taken to solve them but a heavy contingent of police was sent.
"By sending a heavy contingent of police, it is being made to believe that the people of Gwadar are not the priority of the government."
He said that the people of Gwadar have lost their livelihood but the problems related to livelihood have not been solved but only one demand was met which was the closure of liquor shops in the city.
He said that the people of Gwadar were determined to end the protest only after all the demands were implemented.
What do government officials say about the deployment of heavy police?
On Saturday, Balochistan Home Adviser Mir Ziaullah Langu held talks with the sit-in participants.
Talking to media persons after the talks, Ziaullah Lango said that police personnel have not been sent here to take action against anyone but additional personnel have been sent here as precautionary measures.
He said that if the government wanted to force the sit-in, it could have done so on the first day and this is not a big issue for the government.
"People have been sitting here for twenty days now," he said. When people are sitting here, something else can happen. "
He said that Gwadar is an important area not only of Balochistan but also of the country.
Makran Region Police Chief DIG Javed Jaskani said that as far as sit-in is concerned, it is peaceful but any miscreant can take advantage of this situation. Has been called for
He said that no action would be taken against anyone unless they resorted to violence.
Why the sit-in is not being ended?
A total of 19 demands have been put forward by the sit-in and protest being organized by the 'Haq Do' movement in Gwadar.
The most important of these demands are the removal of illegal fishing by trawlers from Balochistan's territorial waters and the lifting of the ban on border trade with Iran.
While a sit-in has been going on since November 15 in connection with these demands, three rallies were held in the city, in which besides the shrouded procession of men, there were also rallies for women and children.
According to observers, the rallies of children and women were not only the largest in the history of Gwadar but also in the history of Balochistan.
Four notifications were issued regarding the recognition of important demands in the rounds of talks held by the ministers with the participants of the sit-in before the Advisor on Home Affairs. And action against them, secondly handing over to the district administration instead of frontier corps monitoring of border traffic, providing assistance from the district administration to rescue the vehicles belonging to the Coast Guard and peace in Gwadar. In view of the current law and order situation, it was decided to close the liquor shops again.
After the issuance of these notifications, the participants of the sit-in announced to postpone the decision to implement the announcement of closure of highways but did not end the sit-in.
Following the issuance of these notifications, the ministers asked the participants to end the sit-in immediately but the participants said that they would review their implementation for three days and then decide whether to end or continue the sit-in. Will decide
Following these ministers, last Friday the Home Adviser also held talks with the participants of the sit-in and while talking to the media representatives, he said that the sit-in should be called off when the demands have been accepted but the sit-in was not ended.
Why the sit-in was not ended despite the notification?
Asked about not ending the sit-in, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman said on Saturday that there was a difference between accepting demands and implementing them.
"Government ministers say the demands have been accepted, but we say the demands have been accepted before but are not being implemented," he said.
"We told those who came here for talks that the trailer mafia and the border mafia are more powerful than them, so the demands are not being implemented," he said.
He said that illegal fishing and restrictions on border trade with Iran had deprived the people of Gwadar and Makran of their livelihood and employment.
He said that the participants of the sit-in want practical steps and implementation. If these people implement it then we will not delay even a minute in ending the sit-in.
Meeting chaired by Chief Minister regarding sit-in
In a meeting held in Quetta under the chairmanship of Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qaddos Bizenjo, Commissioner Makran gave a briefing on the situation regarding Gwadar sit-in.
According to an official statement, the meeting was informed that all the demands of Gwadar Tehreek leader Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman have been accepted.
The government, despite having other options, has continued to hold talks with the sit-in participants with patience.
It was informed in the briefing that the provincial ministers and senior officials had held four rounds of talks with the participants of Gwadar sit-in and the process of implementation of the issues agreed upon in the talks has started.
The Fisheries Department, in collaboration with the Coast Guard and other relevant agencies, has taken effective measures against illegal trawling and has largely curbed illegal trawling and those involved are being punished with imprisonment and fines.
The meeting agreed that the government believes in resolving issues within the ambit of constitution and law in an atmosphere of mutual trust with all stakeholders, however, increasing the demand for sit-ins on a daily basis is not an appropriate action.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that the government strives and wishes that all issues be resolved by mutual consent.
He said that all the issues for opening border trade were decided at a high level meeting held in Turbat recently which would be implemented soon and the people of Turbat, Gwadar, Panjgur and Washik would benefit from it.
"We realize that unemployment is the root of all problems. If this problem is not solved, then the enemies of the country can use the unemployed people for their own ends," he said.
He said that unnecessary check posts on highways have been abolished out of respect for public aspirations