The protests in Gwadar continue to grow in both size and intensity as the provincial government has failed to engage and assuage the legitimate grievances of the protesters thus far. In fact, the use of force and intimidation which is often the first tactic, has unsurprisingly backfired and made the protests more violent, as a result of which a policeman also lost his life during a demonstration.
For the past two months, the Gwadar Rights Movement (GRM) under the leadership of Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has been protesting in Gwadar, turning up the heat against the government. However, the government led by CM Balochistan Mir Quddus Bizenjo chose to turn a blind eye towards the protests, and was stirred into action only after videos of the protesters went viral on social media. One must question what message this gives to the people of Gwadar that it took two months for the government to pay heed to what was going on.
The poor handling of the situation has only further widened the trust deficit as the defiant Maulana decided not to hold talks with the ministers, who were then forced to meet second-tier leaders of the GRM. It must also be pointed out that the GRM has its finger on the pulse as it swept the local bodies elections in Gwadar, so it makes little sense for the government to have such a dismissive approach.
The demands put forth by the people of Gwadar have always been genuine, be it the provision of basic services such as water and electricity, an end to illegal fishing by trawlers, or the recovery of missing persons. The local government must now make amends for its faulty approach and try to resolve this through a political settlement, as has been promised. The use of raids to disperse protesters or pick up leaders should be avoided, as it will only provide more space to elements that are seeking to exploit the situation. These longstanding issues must be addressed once and for all as it would eliminate the underlying source of tension that gives rise to these protests so frequently.