Gwadar: With chants of “Gwadar Ko Haq Do”, tens of thousands of people, including women and children, marched on the main roads of the Pakistani port city of Gwadar in support of their rights.
Protesters were demanding provision of basic health, education facilities and infrastructure in Gwadar and across Balochistan province.
The protesters were led by Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, Balochistan's general secretary of the Jamaat-i-Islami and leader of the 'Gwadar ko haq do tehreek'. The movement was launched 26 days ago.
On Friday, the demonstrators marched from the Seratun-Nabi Chowk, carrying placards and chanting slogans against the provincial government.
During his speech, Maulana Hidayat said that his movement was dedicated to the deprived and oppressed people of Balochistan comprising fishermen, poor labourers, and students.
The JI leader remarked that the participation of hundreds of people in Friday's march has proven that the Balochistan government has failed its people, Pakistani media reported.
He called the huge march a "referendum against the provincial and federal governments".
“It is the movement of the deprived and oppressed people of Balochistan comprising fishermen, poor labourers and students, which will continue till all their demands are accepted and implemented,” the JI leader declared.
The protesters said that many more people wanted to participate from Karachi and Sindh but couldn't because the police blocked the coastal highways and stopped buses and coaches from traveling to Gwadar.
(With UNI inputs)
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