Siraj warns of countrywide agitation if Gwadar people not given rights

LAHORE: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq has warned of countrywide agitation movement against the government if the demands of Gwadar people were not met and the rights of Balochistan people were not given to them.

“We will not leave Gwadar at the mercy of national and international mafias, as the port city is the gateway to the development of Balochistan and Pakistan,” he said while addressing a press conference at Mansoorah on Sunday.

Siraj said "Give Gwadar Rights" is a peaceful movement of the local people of Gwadar comprising women, children and elderly, and led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, who is a native Baloch, an Islamist and patriotic leader. No one can suppress the movement which includes infants, mothers, sisters and daughters, he said, adding that demanding employment is not terrorism but the love and sympathy for own people.

“I like to warn the government that if it does not solve the problems of Gwadar, the protest for expressing solidarity with the people of Gwadar will not be limited to Gwadar and spread all over the country,” he said.

Sirajul Haq said he would reach Gwadar on Monday to express solidarity with the Baloch people and the movement for Gwadar residents’ rights. He said Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan, has proved to be a beacon of hope for the people of Gwadar by uniting them on the issues faced by the people of Gwadar. “We will not leave the people of Gwadar alone.

Will raise voice for their rights at every forum,” he added. He demanded that all baseless cases against Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch and his companions be withdrawn and their names be removed from Fourth Schedule, otherwise a forceful protest would be held across the country.

Siraj-ul-Haq said that Balochistan is 44pc of the total area of the country, which is rich in minerals and natural resources but people of the province have been suffering from poverty, unemployment and backwardness for long. Most of the natural gas comes from Balochistan but the whole province is deprived of it. The people are right in raising the question: What is their crime? Are they terrorists? Or are they facilitators? Did they attack the forces? Or did Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch act illegally? His only crime was that he challenged the authorities to solve the problems of the people of Gwadar. Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman is an asset of the people of Balochistan. This is the biggest protest in the history of Balochistan in which a large number of women and children have participated.

Siraj said Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch only asked the government that Baloch people had no objection to providing jobs and employment to the people of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the livelihood of Gwadar people must not be snatched by the government and they should be provided basic needs like health, education and employment. People of Gwadar are deprived of even clean drinking water and their humiliation should be stopped.

Siraj-ul-Haq said that till date all the governments have only increased the deprivations of the people of Balochistan instead of solving their problems. All capitalists, Waderas and feudal lords have usurped the rights of local people. He vowed that Jamaat-e-Islami will stand by people of Balochistan for ensuring their legitimate rights.