Screengrab of protesters in Gwadar in December 2021
Ongoing protests in Gwadar once again point to a problem that cannot be wished away. A seemingly annual occurrence, demonstrations in December triggered police raids, mass arrests and a communications blackout that lasted nearly a week. These occurred nearly a year after five days of protests in the strategic port city that included tens of thousands of men, women and children chanting slogans against the Balochistan government and demanding their rights. Those demonstrations were halted only after the provincial government promised to implement the Gwadar Ko Haq Do (give Gwadar its rights) movement’s demands for better access to electricity and education; an end to unnecessary checkposts; and action against illegal trawling impacting local fishermen.
Objectively, the protests can be traced back to China’s role in the development of Gwadar. Pakistan had touted Gwadar’s inclusion to the Belt and Road initiative as a path to job generation, but this has yet to happen, with Chinese workers being seen as reaping all the benefits. Led by Maulana Hidayatur Rehman of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the Haq Do Tehreek (HDT)’s demands reflect the deeper malaise affecting Balochistan, with many in the province believing they are not being benefiting from the development brought on by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
It is undeniable that the situation in Gwadar has improved with the inclusion of CPEC, but many basic issues—healthcare, water, power—remain unaddressed. The biggest concern for the local population along the coastal belt of Balochistan is illegal fishing, which has ruined their livelihoods—and also has Chinese linkages. In June 2021, government authorities detained several Chinese trawlers loaded with fish from Gwadar after locals protested against the federal government granting “licenses” allowing them to fish in the region.
Pakistan cannot afford to ignore the situation unfolding in Gwadar, especially in light of the volume of trade China and the Gulf are expected to pass through it, ultimately to Islamabad’s benefit. To do otherwise risks leaving a path open for other actors, including India, which leased Chabahar Port from Iran—just 170km west of Gwadar—for 15 months in 2018. This, in turn, granted Delhi a launch pad for convicted spy Kulbhushan Jhadav to infiltrate into Balochistan.