Gwadar Protests highlight the lane’s Achilles’ heel. The mass protests reflect six years of disappointment. and resentment by locals. who have seen nothing from Chinese investment projects. Muhammad Akbar Notezai. December 9, 2023.Gwadar’s protests highlight the lane’s Achilles’ heel. A Pakistan Navy soldier stands guard over a laden Chinese ship preparing. to depart before a ceremony at Gwadar port, about 700 kilometers west of Karachi. Pakistan.
China Petroleum:
After the announcement of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2023. Gwadar described in the Pakistani mainstream media Gwadar Protest. as the gateway to a new era of Chinese investment. that would transform the fortunes of Pakistan and the region as a whole. As a result, Gwadar, a small. dusty port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. has been in the spotlight ever since. It has spent billions of dollars on other projects. under the China Petroleum Economic Corridor. including the opening of a thermal power plant. and the construction of an international airport at a cost of $230 million.
Economic Corridor project:
Both the Chinese and Pakistani governments wanted to speed up development work. But in so doing they have overlooked the earthly realities facing the port city and the wider state. As I explained in a previous Diplomat article. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project has recently slowed down in Gwadar. and elsewhere in Balochistan, indeed throughout the country. Instead of using the suspension to readjust. The authorities continued to ignore the basic demands of the local population.
Protect Chinese enterprises:
When the economic corridor started. The local Baloch community in Gwadar lacked water electricity. and other basic amenities. Despite billions of dollars of investment. from China pouring into their homeland, they still lack these basic necessities. Instead of increasing the local population. the wave of investment had the opposite effect. As a result of the development work. the local population is starting to lose their livelihood. Many people, especially fishermen, have lost their jobs. The local economy is in turmoil as the port city has tightened. to protect Chinese enterprises and workers from militant attacks.
Under these conditions:
It became clear to the indigenous Baloch people. that the development of Gwadar was not intended to improve their economic situation. Instead, wipe them off the scene and cripple them financially. Finally, they confronted the authorities and demanded access to basic facilities. Diplomatic scheme The weekly newsletter. Get a briefing on this week’s story. and uncover notable stories across the Asia Pacific region.
Get the newsletter:
The Baloch community has been holding protests in the port city. and elsewhere in Gwadar district for more than three weeks. demanding clean drinking water. uninterrupted access to the sea for fishing, and a ban on deep-sea trawling. With these sit-ins and protests, the Chinese-funded project. became embroiled in the decades-old grievances of the Baloch against the Pakistani state.
Highway linking Gwadar:
Protesters blocked the highway linking Gwadar with Karachi. Pakistan’s most populous city and former capital, forcing. the government to deploy an additional 5,500 riot police to Gwadar. Thousands of women previously gathered in coastal cities. for the largest gathering in a week-long series of demonstrations. demanding basic civic amenities. The ongoing protests and sit-ins clearly show that not all is well in Gwadar. People took to the streets to express their anger at the tyranny of the authorities.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor:
When the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor launched in 2015. protesters say, Pakistani and Chinese officials believed that Gwadar. a small city centered around a strategic fishing port. would become a glamorous modern metropolis like Dubai. He promised that it would soon turn into a big city. Shenzhen. But six years later, the reality is very different. About 100,000 people do not have access. to clean drinking water in the port city of Gwadar, let alone the rest of the region.
The Gwadar movement:
Desperate locals in Gwadar throng in crowds of tens of thousands. around Maulana Hidayat Rahman. a religious scholar based in the port city. Gwadar ko hokok de terek, or “give rights to the Gwadar movement. is one of the rebel states of Balochistan. where criticism of Chinese-funded projects is rare and considered anti-state. We have comprehensive support.The Pakistani government concerned about the large crowds gathering to demand their rights. Chinese officials are also concerned about the sudden change. and continuing protests in Gwadar city.
Excessive fishing rights:
Where the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued. a statement opposing the issuance of excessive fishing rights. to Chinese fishing vessels in Gwadar and said that the reports of the protests were “fake”. News. It appears that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded. to one of the protesters’ demands. which is that the government addresses the issue of illegal trawling in the Gwadar Sea. In this sense, the Gwadar security entire Pakistani fishing community is already protesting against. Chinese deep-water fishing vessels.
