The authorities of Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan have declared a state of emergency in the port city of Gwadar, where since the beginning of this week the protests of residents against the suppression of democratic freedoms and deterioration of living conditions have not ceased.
Gwadar has banned mass gatherings, rallies, sit-ins and meetings for one month, The News International reported. The city has cut off cell phone service, terminated internet services and suspended electricity to most neighborhoods. Police arrested more than 100 protesters and activists from the Gwadar Rights Movement (GRM), which led the protests, after protesters threw stones at police stations and blocked the main highway linking the city to the rest of the country. According to media reports, one police officer and one GRM supporter were killed in the protests in Gwadar.
Interior Minister Ziaullah Langau said the government would not compromise with the protesters and would deal harshly with those responsible for the violence and unrest. According to him, the authorities will take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens working in Gwadar.
The GRM, for its part, said it would continue the protests and would demand that the authorities refrain from strengthening the police regime in the city and meet its demands for liberalized trade with other provinces of Pakistan, an end to deep-sea fishing off Gwadar, an end to evictions from areas given over to foreign-built housing, and uninterrupted water and electricity supply.
The GRM leaders said that if these demands are not met, they may call on their supporters to blockade the economic facilities being built in Gwadar with the help of China.
The protests in Gwadar are taking place against a backdrop of ongoing tensions in Balochistan due to the rise of nationalist and separatist groups, as well as opponents of the Pakistani government's measures to strengthen the centralization of the country. Armed extremist attacks threaten the security of the Gwadar seaport, which is considered a key site of China's global Belt and Road initiative, as well as other infrastructure being built in Pakistan with PRC assistance.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Burhan Ahmad/Unsplash
Based on materials from TASS