ISLAMABAD -- A protest leader in the Pakistani port town of Gwadar, a key hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative, has warned Chinese citizens to leave by Thursday -- turning up the heat on a federal government already under pressure to protect Beijing's interests.
For over 50 days, the Haq Do Tehreek (Gwadar Rights Movement) has been staging a sit-in protest outside the main entrance to the port.
Led by the politically ascendant Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, the demonstrators have blocked the Gwadar East Bay Expressway, the key artery connecting the port with Pakistan's main highway network. They have also protested outside the under-construction New Gwadar International Airport.
The expressway, airport and the port itself are all part of the $50 billion Pakistan component of the Belt and Road called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Gwadar has been touted as the heart of the initiative in Pakistan.
The protesters are demanding a reduction in security checkpoints in the area, an end to deep-sea fish trawling that they say has depleted their catches, and an easing of curbs on informal border trading with Iran. Experts say that although these demands are not directly linked to Chinese projects in Gwadar, many residents consider the developments part of the problem.
Nasir Sohrabi, president of the Rural Community Development Council of Gwadar, told Nikkei Asia that Rehman knows targeting the Chinese projects is an effective way to pressure the government to negotiate with him, given the sensitivity of CPEC and Pakistan-China relations. Beijing has repeatedly pressed Islamabad to do more to safeguard its citizens and economic interests, which have
come under threat from militant groups. At the same time, the cash-strapped Pakistani government desperately needs China's financial support.
Last year, Rehman led a similar protest for 32 days, after which the government negotiated with him and assured him that his demands would be met. "The government did not make good on its promises, and hence we have restarted the protest," Hafeez Kiyazai, a spokesperson for Haq Do Tehreek, told Nikkei Asia.
This month, the movement has consistently upped the ante.
On Dec. 10, thousands of women rallied in Gwadar to show solidarity with Rehman. On Dec. 16, Rehman and his supporters symbolically displayed weapons, implying they could be used against those responsible for infringing on residents' rights. Specific targets were not mentioned.
This week, Rehman further fueled the confrontation by issuing the warning to Chinese nationals. There are fewer than 500 Chinese in Gwadar, all of them based in the Gwadar Port compound.
It was unclear what would happen to them if they did not comply and leave.
Rehman, also known as Maulana among his backers, vowed to completely stop work on all CPEC projects in Gwadar and to prevent the movement of high-profile dignitaries in the port town. He did not specify how he would achieve these goals.
Kiyazai, the spokesperson, stressed that the movement had been protesting for around two months and still the government had not agreed to talk. He said that if the government "ignores" peaceful protests, then the people have a right "to pick up and use weapons to protect our rights."
Multiple residents of Gwadar interviewed by Nikkei said Rehman enjoys the support of the masses. One person, who asked not to be named, said that if the government will not ensure the rights of the people of Gwadar, then the people will not allow the Chinese-controlled port and other projects to operate.
Rasheed Baloch, a political analyst based in Quetta, said Rehman and his movement are conveying a message to China that all is not well in a community that is central to its Belt and Road plans. "There is no doubt that Beijing is worried due to the increasingly hostile attitude of Rehman toward Chinese interests in Gwadar," he said.
Experts add that the movement is also tied up in a local political battle between Rehman and Hammal Kalmati, the incumbent Gwadar representative in the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. "Rehman wants to contest elections for the seat," Baloch said. "He will continue using this rights movement to gain political mileage."
Observers see confrontation -- be it with the Pakistani government or Chinese nationals in Gwadar -- as integral to Rehman's strategy.
"Rehman will continue his sit-in protest and his fiery speeches against Chinese interests, forcing the government to arrest him and forcefully end the ... protest, which is exactly what he wants," said Sohrabi, the Rural Community Development Council chief.
As a result, he said, tensions in Gwadar are unlikely to cool down anytime soon.
Pakistani government faces increasingly confrontational local rights movement
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