Gwadar residents call off sit-in after ‘successful negotiations’ with govt

After a month of protests for their basic rights, the residents of Gwadar on Thursday called off their sit-in following successful negotiations with the government.

A government negotiating committee comprising federal ministers Asad Umar and Zubaida Jalal met the protesters and assured them of addressing their grievances.

Thousands of fishermen along with women and children staged a sit-in for almost 31 days against unnecessary check posts and fishing trawlers in Gwadar district and were demanding civic amenities and employment opportunities for the local people.

Later, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo met the protesters.

The chief minister told them that the government had imposed a complete ban on illegal fishing.

The authorities concerned had been directed to take action against such illegal practices, he added. “Providing basic amenities to Gwadar and its people is one of our government’s top priorities.”

CM Bizenjo said all demands of the protesters had been accepted and the provincial government would utilise all its resources to resolve the issues of the locals.

The agreement reached between the government and the protesters, led by Haq Do Movement leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, includes 11 points.

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

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.

According to the premier, he would also speak to Balochistan CM Bizenjo to address the reservations of the province’s fisherfolk community.