Senate calls for steps to preserve Gwadar’s demographic balance

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday called on the government to take measures to preserve the demographic balance and ownership rights of local population of Gwadar and protect the same against the expected large scale migration into Gwadar in the wake of CPEC projects.

The House, which met with its Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in the chair, passed a unanimous resolution, moved by Senator Kauda Babar from Balochistan, urging the government to take certain steps in the wake of projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gwadar. It was a private members day on the opening day of the fresh session amid downpour.

The resolution reads: “This House is of opinion that, while it is imperative to embrace opportunities of the 21st century brought about by the CPEC, it is equally important to safeguard the ownership and inherent rights of the people of Gwadar.

“Keeping the development and protection of rights of the people of Gwadar in view, the House recommended that the government should take effective steps to protect and promote the rights of local fishermen and to provide them alternate sources of income under the CPEC in case they lose their livelihood as a result of any project of CPEC,” the House said through the resolution.

It also called upon the government to take steps for provision of vocational and other training to the local people of Gwadar in order to bring them up to the requirements of the modern times and to enable them to cope with the challenges and opportunities to be brought by the CPEC