13 January 2023
By Hania Khan
LAHORE
Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, a leader of the Haq Do Gwadar Movement, was arrested by police this Friday morning. He has been booked in 17 FIRs for allegedly disturbing public peace and the alleged murder of a policeman. However, the details of the case are unclear, as the internet has been shut down in the area.
Rehman had been leading a peaceful sit-in for the last two months, demanding an end to unnecessary security check posts in Gwadar, an end to illegal trawling, and a supply of clean water in the coastal city.
The movement started in September 2021 and gained popularity also sweeping local body elections. Last year, the sit-in also went on for months and ended only after Chief Minister Balochistan visited the coastal city and gave assurances to resolve all the movement’s demands.
However, according to Hidayat ur Rehman, the authorities have failed to keep their promises and they were left with no other option but to restart the protests. On December 26, after talks failed, the police dismantled the camp by force. Top military commander in Balochistan, Lt. General Asif Ghafoor, visited Gwadar and met with political and administrative leaders. He announced that security would be handed over to the police and Levies Force in the next three to four months, but emphasized that the demands made by the HDT were genuine, but that this was not the way to make demands.
