Proposed legislation: Govt to protect rights of Gwadar’s citizens, says Zehri

Balochistan CM says international models being looked at for introducing law

QUETTA: After some leaders expressed their reservations that the province’s indigenous population is being turned into a minority, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri said that his government may introduce a legislation which addresses those concerns and protects the rights of Gwadar’s residents as it is developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Speaking at a briefing on Gwadar Safe City and Quetta Red Zone security projects on Wednesday, he said that citizens of the deep-sea port city would be provided security.

He added that the government was looking at existing models such as Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong on protecting ownership rights of the city’s residents. In this regard he said that the people of Gwadar will have first right over the city, followed by people of Balochistan, the rest of the country and so on.

The proposed law, Zehri said, would bar new residents of the city from being added to the area’s voter list or from listing Gwadar as their permanent address.

He added that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced that Gwadar’s income would remain in Balochistan while the Makran Coastal Highway would be converted into a motorway.

Zehri claimed that terrorists had been crushed which is why they were setting their sights on soft targets. He added that all available resources would be used for securing Gwadar and Quetta.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2016.