Mobile and internet services were suspended in the port city of Gwadar on Monday night after the police reportedly teargassed protestors who have been staging a sit-in outside the main entrance to the port for over 50 days. Some leaders of the Haq Do Tehreek, the movement behind the protest, have reportedly been arrested by the police — and this action has further enraged the protestors which include women and children. According to reports, some women protestors fell unconscious after being teargassed by the police.
Balochistan Interior Minister Ziaullah Langove arrived in Gwadar to negotiate with the protestors, but after the negotiations failed, the police launched a crackdown.
Details of the action against protestors and the extent of the crackdown could not be ascertained due to blockade of the telecommunication system. But social media reports suggest police had used force against the protestors, and that the latest developments may lead to chaos in the city.
Gwadar is a key hub for the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and citizens of the port city have been raising voice against illegal fish trawling and an increasing number of check points in the city where citizens are often harassed and humiliated.
Meanwhile, mainstream media has been giving little or no coverage to the protest.
