Gwadar situation turns tense amid scuffle, shelling and baton charge

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 28 : The situation in Gwadar got very tense after many people were injured due to scuffle, shelling and baton charge between the Give Rights Movement and the police, as the 'Haq Do Tehreek' (HDT) protests threatened to blow up on Pakistan's ruling establishment in the port city, reported Pak vernacular media Urdu Point.
The clashes occurred this month between locals and security forces in Gwadar as protests against illegal fishing turned violent after some people were arrested in the port city, The Balochistan Post reported.
More than 80 people were arrested and cases were registered against 34 people in Pisni under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Deputy Chief of Jamaat e Islami Liaqat Baloch said the situation in Gwadar is a matter of concern not only for Balochistan but for the people of the entire nation, reported Intekhab Daily.
For the last two months, a peaceful protest was going on in Gwadar under the leadership of Hidayat Ur Rahman Baloch and Husain Wadala. The government cracked down on them all of a sudden, the Intekhab Daily reported, adding that the the Jamaat e Islami condemned the 'lethal clampdown'.
Liaqat Baloch called on the government to talk to the protestors, accept their demand and release their leaders, saying instead of peaceful means, the government adopted power and violence to crush them, reported Intekhab Daily.
"The use of violence and unconstitutional activities are increasing the feelings of deprivation among the people. The government should act on the promises it made to the protesters one year back," Baloch was quoted as saying by Intekhab Daily.
Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (Punjab, Central) leader Mohammad Javed Kasuri strongly condemned the torture and arrests of Maulana Hidayat Rehman Baloch and other leaders of the Give Rights Movement in Gwadar, reported Jasarat.
"Instead of implementing the agreement, the government of Balochistan has used violence and force against the men and women participating in the two-month-long peaceful sit-in. The government has crossed the limit of brutality and shamelessness. The Give Rights to Gwadar Movement will continue until the demands are accepted. The government should stop using cheap tactics," Kasuri was quoted by Jasarat as saying.
Maulana Abdul Haq Hashmi, a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, said he condemns the harsh attitude adopted by the government towards the peaceful people of Gwadar, reported Ummat.
He said the Gwadar sit-in was against border trade issues and the trawling mafia.
Last year, the government had negotiated with the protestors, but the agreement could not be reached.
He further said if the government wants to negotiate, then an empowered committee should be formed for it, reported Ummat.
HDT activists have been protesting in the city for nearly two months. The protestors' demands include an end to illegal trawling in Gwadar's water, the high number of security checkpoints, and an opening up of trade on the Pak-Iran border.