Chinese citizens in Balochistan’s Gwadar port, one of the most significant culmination points for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, have been warned by the politically significant ‘Haq Do Tehreeq’ outfit (Gwadar Rights Movement) to leave by Thursday. The ultimatum has turned up the pressure on Islamabad, which has faced Beijing’s ire in past when it was seen to be failing to protect Chinese assets in both legally and illegally administered Pakistani territories. There are fewer than 500 Chinese in Gwadar, all of them based in the Gwadar Port compound. It remains unclear what would happen if the Chinese citizens did not comply and leave.
The ‘Haq Do Tehreek’ (Gwadar Rights Movement) has been staging a sit-in protest outside the main entrance to the Gwadar Port for over 50 days. Led by Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, the protestors have blocked the Gwadar East Bay Expressway, the key link connecting the port with Pakistan’s main highway network.
The expressway, airport and port in Pakistan-administered territories are part of the $50 billion Pakistan component of the Belt and Road called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Gwadar has been touted as the ‘heart of CPEC’ in Pakistan.
What are the protesters demanding?
The protesters are demanding a reduction in security checkpoints in the area, an end to deep-sea fish trawling citing it to have been harming the fisheries in the area, and an easing of restrictions on informal border trading with Iran.
What does this ultimatum mean?
The protest against the Chinese presence in Gwadar and the consequent violation of local rights received support from the opposition last year. However, reports in Pakistani media suggest that the Maulana capitalised on the popularity of that protest to contest a local government election from his ‘Haq Do Tehreek’ outfit and won a decisive victory in the first round of polls. This earned him the ire of other political parties who now see him as a rival. These political parties have refused to lend their support to the Maulana. This has resulted in smaller numbers of politically-aligned protesters, which Islamabad is seeing as a dilution of the protesters’ ire.
The Maulana, however, is determined to continue with his protest.
This month, the movement has consistently upped the pressure on Islamabad to consider their demands.
On December 10, thousands of women rallied in Gwadar to show solidarity with Rehman. On December 16, Rehman and his supporters also flaunted weapons, indicating they could be used against those who they deem fit for the perceived violation of their movement rights.
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