Author: Muhammad Akbar Notezai
Affiliation: Dawn (Lahore-based Journalist and Correspondent)
Organization /Publisher: Dawn/ Scribe Publishing Platform
Date/Place: January 2, 2022/ Pakistan
Type of Literature: Report
Word Count: 2950
Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1667199/the-baloch-spring-in-gwadar
Keywords: CPEC, Trawling, Gwadar, Protest, and Maulana Hidayatur Rehman
Brief:
The report analyzes the uprising in Gwadar, the Balochistan province of Pakistan, and its aftermath. The author Muhammad Akbar Notezai highlights the nostalgia of the local people and the feelings of alienation. The locals have their reservations regarding the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) because these developments complicate the entry and exit of the locals through unnecessary check posts. The main source of income for locals is fishing, especially from areas like Pasni, but the new policy is to obtain tokens to fish in the sea. There are no laws and restrictions for trawlers coming from other provinces, but also, both legal and illegal trawlers from Japan, Korea, and China have been fishing in Gwadar for decades. Other issues like the lack of proper infrastructure and accessibility of basic needs, coupled with a list of other demands, became the agenda of the current protest in Gwadar. A local religious figure Maulana Hidayatur Rehman became prominent in the area and raised his voice for the underprivileged people. The report gives a glimpse for the policymaker to rethink the emerging situation in Balochistan, and specifically in Gwadar after the CPEC. The frustration of the local population and their demands of basic rights are valid being citizens of Pakistan with now fewer rights than foreign fishermen. However, Imran Khan has condemned the illegal trawling and promised to take appropriate action against them. Nevertheless, the issue is not confined to fishing; the government also needs to allocate resources for the development of Balochistan as a primary beneficiary of the CPEC.
By: Razia Wadood, CIGA Senior Research Associate
