GWADAR: Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, marched on the main roads and streets of Gwadar on Friday in support of their movement launched for the rights of the people of Gwadar.

Led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, Balochistan gen­­eral secretary of Ja­­m­a­at-i-Islami, the people of the port city launched the ‘Gwa­dar ko haq do’ movement 26 days ago.

The participants of the procession started their march from Seratun-Nabi Chowk, carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans in support of their demands. They were chanting slogans against the provincial government.

Speaking to the participants, Maulana Hidayat said police and other law-enforcement agen­cies blocked the Coas­tal Highway at Uthal, stopping buses, coaches and other vehicles carrying people to travel towards Gwadar as thousands of people from Karachi and other areas of Sindh wanted to join the sit-in in Gwadar.

Maulana Hidayat said that today’s participation of hundreds of thousands of people in the procession and the sit-in was actually a referendum against the provincial and federal governments and the people would continue their struggle and protest till the achievement of their rights which had been denied to them for a long time.

“It is the movement of the deprived and oppressed people of Balochistan comprising fishermen, poor labourers and students, which will continue till all their demands are accepted and implemented,” the JI leader declared.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2021