A jirgah was held in Turbat, Kech, on Saturday against the closure of Pak-Iran border and the implementation of the token system in border trade. Traders, transporters, businessmen and the general public participated in the Jirgah and expressed their concerns.
According to details, the Jirgah was held on the Shaheed Fida Chowk in Turbat in the chairmanship of Molvi Hidayat-Ur-Rehman, the General-Secretory of Jamayat-i-Islami in Balochistan.
Addressing the gathering, Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said that if the government does not accept our 15-point agenda, which includes lifting the ban on fishing in Gwadar, reopening of the Pak-Iran border crossing and the abolishment of the token system, we will carry out protests and block the main road leading towards the Gwadar port and the Pearl Continental Hotel, the epicenter of Chinese investment in Balochistan. He said that we will soon annouce the date of the protests.
He demanded the abrogation of the token system of border trade where the transporters are given a specific token for each of their visits across the border. Since the tokens are limited, this system drastically reduces the volume of the border trade. Each transporter can barely carry out three visits each month.
Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said that the unnecessary check posts must be removed from the trade route, as the security forces stationed at these posts are known to extort stupendous bribes from the traders and transporters using the route. The security forces also harrass the transporters during their journeys across the border, he added.
He said that if these demanda are not met, we will announce another Jirgah and carry out protests in Gwadar and Turbat.