Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has voiced serious concerns over the fencing of Gwadar city, describing it as an attempt to displace and marginalize its local population.
According to Dr. Mahrang, the initiative is part of a broader attempt to displace and dispossess the indigenous people of Gwadar. “The fencing of Gwadar city is a troubling attempt to displace and dispossess its indigenous people,” she stated.
Despite resistance from the Baloch populace that temporarily halted the project in 2020, concerns persist about its long-term implications. “These coercive measures not only risk alienating communities but also raise concerns of planned demographic changes, potentially converting Baloch into minorities in their own land,” she added.
Dr. Mahrang criticized the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a mega project that she claims has failed to deliver benefits to the Baloch nation and instead contributed to their marginalization. “The fencing of Gwadar city has raised concerns that CPEC intends to marginalize the local population, fostering fear and insecurity. It has only deepened divisions and further oppressed the community, with natives now feeling confined to a mere security zone,” she explained.
Highlighting the severe impact of such policies, Dr. Mahrang stated, “Forced displacement is one of the worst human rights abuses by the state. Entire Baloch populations are being uprooted from their ancestral lands to live as migrants, enduring oppression and violence.” She emphasized that despite these challenges, the Baloch people remain steadfast. “Now, another attempt to fence off Gwadar’s city is ignoring the plight of the local population.”
Dr. Mahrang concluded with a call to action, asserting the determination of the Baloch people to resist these divisions: “The conscious Baloch nation will never allow the state’s attempt to divide its land because these barriers deepen marginalization and perpetuate injustice.”