Gwadar, a coastal city in Balochistan, has been under a military siege for the past eleven days, causing severe disruption to the lives of its residents. Thousands of people have been unable to leave or enter the city due to road closures and a government crackdown on the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s Baloch Raji Muchi event.
The Baloch Raji Muchi(Baloch National Gathering) was organised by BYC in Gwadar on July 28, to protest against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, military operations, and other human rights abuses in Balochistan. However, Pakistani authorities used force to sabotage the gathering, leading the BYC to extend the protest into a sit-in.
Javed, a Gwadar resident, left for Karachi on July 26 to seek medical treatment for his child. However, he has been unable to return to Gwadar and is now staying with relatives in Hub Chowki with his family. Javed told The Balochistan Post, “Since July 28, we have tried twice to go home, but the military turns us back. We can’t get to our home. Our business is closed, and we have run out of money here.”
Javed appealed to higher authorities to allow thousands of Gwadar residents stranded in other areas to return home. Reports received by The Balochistan Post also indicate that many citizens working in Gulf countries, such as Oman, the UAE, and Bahrain, are trapped in Gwadar. Their leaves have expired, but the Pakistani military is not allowing them to leave the city, putting their jobs at risk.
There are growing concerns about food shortages in Gwadar, as trucks carrying food supplies from Karachi and Iran have been stopped by Pakistani forces at Talaar, Kund Malir, and Pasni Zero Point for ten days.
Residents are demanding an immediate end to the siege to restore normalcy in the city. They have expressed that Gwadar has been turned into “another Gaza Strip” by Pakistani law enforcement, following the participation and support of Gwadar residents for the Baloch Raji Muchi(Baloch Nathional Gathering).
Reports from Othal suggest that the Al-Naveed bus traveling from Karachi to Gwadar has been stopped by Pakistani forces at Zero Point since last night. The bus carries women and children who are suffering due to the intense heat.
Member of the Assembly from Gwadar, Hidayat Ur Rehman, stated that the government is not fulfilling its promise to open the roads leading to Gwadar, accusing the military of continuous deceit. He urged the authorities to lift the siege and restore access to the highways.
The situation remains tense, with residents calling for swift action to alleviate their hardships and ensure the free movement of people and goods in and out of Gwadar.