Officials claim success in talks with Gwadar protesters
QUETTA: After days of simmering tensions in the port city of Gwadar, which has remained under a communications and road blockade over the past several days amid protests by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), officials claimed a breakthrough in their talks with protesters, led by Dr Mahrang Baloch.
The government was represented by Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, whereas Mahrang led the BYC side in the talks, which commenced at the DC House in Gwadar on Wednesday.
In a late-night statement, Gwadar Assistant Commissioner Jawad Zehri said that the negotiations between the BYC and the administration had succeeded and the government would release the BYC protesters in light of the dialogue.
He said the government would restore mobile phone services and remove road blockades whereas the BYC would call off their sit-in. He said the National Party, Jamaat-i-Islami, and Balochistan National Party played a key role in the talks between the BYC and the administration.
Assistant commissioner says BYC has ‘agreed to call off’ sit-in; says communications to be restored and protesters released soon
However, there was no confirmation from the BYC side, as its leadership could not be reached.
Earlier in the day, protests across the province and roadblocks continued in support of the BYC sit-in at Gwadar’s Marine Drive.
Also, there were reports of clashes between the police and protesters in the port city. Officials claimed the protesters ransacked an FIA office and the women’s police station, adding that police failed to remove the protesters’ camp for the past four days.
The protesters reportedly damaged electricity poles and street lights in the vicinity of the sit-in and the entire area has been plunged into darkness since.
There has been no internet — mobile or landline — connectivity, even though the home minister has been in the city for the past three days. Due to the unavailability of phone and internet services in the city, it is difficult to independently verify most information coming out of the area.
Earlier in the day, MPA Hidayatur Rehman, who leads the Gwadar Haq Do Tehreek, warned he would also join the protest if the government did not take tangible measures to break the impasse.
He said that there was a curfew in Gwadar with nobody allowed to leave or enter the city, adding that people had to arrange air ambulances due to road blockades. He demanded that the government negotiated with BYC leaders and work towards the recovery of missing persons — one of the key demands of the BYC.
Protests across Balochistan
BYC sit-ins and roadblocks continued in different areas of the province, including Gwadar, Turbat, Noshki, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Awaran, Chagai, Dalbandin, Kharan, Barkhan, and parts of Lasbela district.
Highways and roads linking Balochistan with other parts of the country were closed at various points, badly affecting the traffic. In Quetta, the Red Zone was completely sealed with containers on the roads leading toward Red Zone because of a rally by the BYC.
The protesters marched at different roads chanting slogans against the government and favour of their demands and staged a sit-in at Assembly Chowk. The police sealed the Red Zone area by placing containers and deploying heavy personnel, leading to severe a traffic jam in Quetta.
BYC leaders also addressed a presser in the provincial capital, warning that if the government did not release their comrades they would shut down Quetta and the entire province for an indefinite period.
They urged the mainstream media to report on the current situation in Balochistan, declaring that if the national media remained silent on the prevalent issues in Balochistan, they would boycott it.
Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2024