Pakistan locals protest against China's belt and road project

Pakistan locals have taken to streets to protest against the immense shortage of water and electricity in the country. Locals claim this shortage poses a threat to their livelihood.

Protests erupted in the port city Gwadar where locals complained of facing shortage of water and electricity and alleged all resources are being used in China’s belt and road projects.

Several fishermen, local workers and residents blocked roads and raised slogans against the government in Gwadar. They were seen chanting anti-government slogans and burning tires while demanding the government to provide better electricity and water facilities in the coastal town.

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They also demanded the government to put a stop on the illegal fishing by Chinese nationals in the area. The locals alleged that Chinese residents have been fishing in the nearby waters and taking the caught fishes back to China to sell.

“It has been more than a month, we have been protesting and rallying against the Chinese trawlers, shortage of water and electricity. The government never paid heed to our demands, and we had to observe a complete shutdown strike and we were attacked by the district administration,” said Faiz Nigori, a local political worker.

However, these protests were met with violent clashes from the local police who cracked down on the demonstrators, injuring at least two people.

This protest has come a day after a suicide bomber attacked Chinese nationals who were driving along an expressway to the port. The bomber killed two children and injured one Chinese engineer, a senior Pakistani official confirmed to local media. “The suicide bomber was able to hit the last car of the convoy as it passed,” the official said.

The bomb attack was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) that accuses the Chinese government of exploiting Balochistan’s resources for its personal gains.