Daily Times

Gwadar’s women aren’t ready to give up just yet. In reality, on December 10, they plan to demonstrate in larger numbers to demand fundamental rights and facilities for themselves and their families.

Gwadar’s women last went out on the streets on November 29. They rushed along the underdeveloped port city’s main street, where different projects under the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are being built.

That day, over 18,000 women marched in unison, some with very young children, carrying placards that read: ‘Gwadar Ko Haqooq Dou‘ (Give rights to Gwadar), ‘We need universities and colleges instead of Army and FC check posts‘, ‘Give us female doctors for maternity services‘, ‘Give us a university‘, ‘Give us a respectable life.

It was a historic moment for the city, which was witnessing its first women’s movement.

For Rehana Gul, who participated in last month’s rally and will be joining next week’s as well, the biggest problem in the city is the large trawlers, which are illegally plundering the Arabian seabed, making it harder for fishermen to fish.

Fishing is the main source of income for most of the residents. “It has become tough to run the kitchen now,” Gul told Geo.tv, “In the last three or four years, there have been days when my husband, who is a fisherman, has come back empty-handed with no money to feed our children.”

Despite protests from local fishermen about the fleets, they have received no response from the Gwadar Development Authority or the Balochistan government.

Besides the trawlers, the protesting women have listed down 17 demands, which include implementing the Fisheries Ordinance 1986, ensuring security officials do not humiliate locals, removing unnecessary checkpoints, establishing a university, providing clean drinking water, recovering forcibly disappearing people, and reducing restrictions on trade at the Iranian border, amongst others.

Protestor Mahnoor Baloch told that although the Gwadar society is very conservative, women are now refusing to stay at home. “We had to come out,” she said, “Women can’t get a proper education here and then their families are humiliated at security check posts as well. It is a matter of our survival and our respect.”

Talking about the CPEC projects in the city, Fatima Aslam Baloch, a protestor, said that it is unfortunate that the Chinese and the Balochistan government are spending money on developing the port, but not on the locals, poor people.

However, the assistant deputy commissioner, Anis Tarique Gorgej, stated that the local administration is in contact with the protestors and that all of their issues will be handled.

“We’re already working to stop the trawlers and make trade easier at the Iranian border,” Gorgej added, “but meeting all of the demands would take some time.”