Gwadar protests 'watershed event' in struggle for basic rights: Shehbaz

Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the ongoing protests in Gwadar are a "watershed event" in the struggle for basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the country.

The PML-N president, tweeting from his official handle, said the protests represented “a new chapter in our country”.

“Owned and led by the people it is a watershed event in the struggle for the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan.”

He further urged the incumbent government to listen to “the people’s voice” and “address their problems immediately”.

Thousands of protestors are staging a sit-in against unnecessary check posts and fishing trawlers in the Gwadar district of Balochistan and are demanding civic amenities and employment opportunities for the local people.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday announced that the government would take "strong action" against illegal fishing by trawlers off the Gwadar coast.

Read Balochistan Directorate of Fisheries relocated to Gwadar

In a tweet, the premier said he had taken notice of the "very legitimate demands" of the hardworking fisherfolk of Gwadar, a linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who is leading the protests, welcomed the premier’s tweet and said that they are not stubborn people as local residents also wanted a solution to their problems.

He said that it is really a welcome development that the Prime Minister has taken notice of the protest and decided to accept the demands of the people including the illegal fishing in Balochistan’s territorial waters after their 28-day sit-in.