A police constable was killed in Gwadar on Tuesday as clashes between the Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) activists — who have been protesting in the city for nearly two months now — and police continued for the second consecutive day.
According to police spokesperson Aslam Khan, constable Yasir was shot in the neck after violence erupted during the protest at the Hashmi Chowk. “He passed away on the spot.”
The spokesperson told Dawn.com that police had decided to register a murder case against HDT leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who has been leading the protest in the city.
Balochistan Inspector General of Police Abdul Khaliq Sheikh has ordered the immediate arrest of those involved in the killing.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove, meanwhile, said that the provincial government has accepted all the demands of the HDT. The chief minister held negotiations will participants of the demonstration in the city.
In a statement issued today, Langove pointed out that some of the HDT demands did not fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. “Some non-paid custom ships were caught but we don’t have the authority to release them.”
He elaborated that HDT’s demands regarding the border and Gwadar port were “fair” but regretted that the provincial authorities could not do anything about them.
“Most of their demands are related to the federal government,” he said.
Langove said that “we have the right to take action against protestors who take the law in their hands”, adding that the law and order situation was being jeopardised in the name of protests.
It is pertinent to mention here that protesters of Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) have been demonstrating in the city for nearly two months now. Their demands include an end to illegal trawling in Gwadar’s water, high number of security checkpoints and opening up of trade on the Pak-Iran border.
On Monday, Dawn reported that violent protesters were tear-gassed and over a dozen arrested during a police crackdown. All commercial activities remained suspended across the port city and public transport stayed off the road during the day as HDT leader Rehman gave a strike call.