The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Thursday ended its sit-in at Gwadar after successful talks with the local administration, concluding a demonstration that had paralyzed traffic in the area and led to suspended internet services.
In a statement, the Balochistan Home Ministry said it had restored internet service after reaching an agreement between the BYC, led by Mahrang Baloch, and the Gwadar deputy commissioner. “The ministry vowed to open all the roads for traffic and remove obstacles from the roads,” announced the deputy commissioner. “The arrested people would be released after the protesters disperse peacefully,” the statement added.
Launched after convoys of protesters from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were barred from entering Balochistan to attend a public meeting organized by the BYC in Gwadar, the sit-in aimed to highlight government high-handedness and the arrests of protesters, as well as demand the recovery of all “missing” persons in the country. It saw thousands converge on Gwadar, suspending traffic along the National Highway, which connects Balochistan with Sindh. The traffic snarls had stranded several cargo trucks and passengers cars, including on the Makran Coastal Highway, which was closed due to the sit-in.
As the protest continued, several government officials had sought to dent its narrative by claiming the BYC organizers were operating on a foreign agenda—to vociferous denials by the protesters. Ahead of the successful talks, Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove had claimed “anti-state” agendas of some of the protest leaders were becoming apparent, adding the government was willing to solve all issues through dialogue.
“Innocent Baloch people are being instigated against the state under an organized conspiracy,” he claimed, warning any conspiracies against Pakistan aimed at enabling violence would fail.