Gwadar: Maulana Hidayat calls off protest after successful negotiations
Behram Baloch, News Desk:
GWADAR: Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, a local cleric leading the protesters called off ongoing protest in the aftermath of successful negotiations with representatives of the Balochistan government. Chief Minister, Mir Quddus Bizenjo led the government negotiating team accepted all demands of the Gwadar Rights Movement (GRM) on Thursday morning. “All demands of the rights movement accepted”, Mir Quddus Bizenjo told the protesters. He said all concerned departments have been directed to address the grievances of the masses of Gwadar.
Gwadar Rights Movement ends 32 days sit-in
The GRM held 32 days-long sit-ins in the country’s port city to mount pressure on the provincial and federal governments for acceptance of its demands. The protesters were demanding an end to illegal fishing/trawling in the sea, fewer check posts, job opportunities, and basic facilities in the port city.
#GwadarProtest CM Bizenjo reaches sit in #Gwadar protest called off: Balochistan Govt Spokesman pic.twitter.com/3go72inXaB
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Provincial ministers, Mir Zahoor Buledi, Syed Ehsan Shah, Akbar Askani, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Mathar Niaz Rana, Commissioner Mekran Division, Shabir Ahmed Mengal, and other high-ups held negotiations with Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman and others.
Federal Ministers, Zubaida Jalal, and Asad Umar also arrived in Gwadar on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan with regard to the acceptance of demands of the protesters.
What were the demands of protesters
1: An end to illegal fishing/ trawling. Fishermen should be freely allowed to move inside the sea for fishing. There should be no unnecessary restriction on fishermen in the case of any VIP movement.
2: Abolish trade unions committee, restore border trade with Iran as per district administration’s rules. Handover border trade administration from frontier corps to district administration etc
3: Remove all unnecessary check posts. A joint committee should be formed to remove all unnecessary check posts at Panjgur, Gwadar, and Turbat
4: Chief Minister Balochistan would announce a special package for the fishermen of Gwadar
5: Affectees of the expressway would be re compensated
6: All cases against GRM activists would be abolished and their names would be removed from the fourth schedule
7: There should be coordination between fishermen and the deputy commissioner’s office regarding any kind of cyclone
8: Disabled quota in all provincial and federal departments would be implemented
9: Sanctity of four walls would be maintained in Mekran Division
10: No action would be taken against any member after the end of the sit-in
11: Provincial government would extend all possible cooperation for the release of boats etc under the custody of coast guards
