The Gwadar Fencing Project
Editorial
The Gwadar Fencing Project, a contentious initiative in Pakistan, has been a subject of intense debate and resistance. This project involves the installation of barbed wire fencing around the city of Gwadar. The project was launched in 2020. The primary purpose of the fencing is to take control of the entire city, which is a pivotal area within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The proposal included the installation of over 500 surveillance cameras and two entry points.
The project faced significant resistance and condemnation from the Baloch nation. The city was already sealed off with barricades, military checkpoints, and fences, barring indigenous people from entry. The local people are being separated from their own city. It is a colonial tactics that violates fundamental human rights and freedom. It is also an attempt to relocate the indigenous population of Gwadar. Gwadar is the city of Baloch Nation but the owners of the city are being relocated and forced to leave the place. The barbed wire will be a border for Baloch people that you are not further allowed in this area.
The indigenous people suffer from persistent enforced disappearances and brutal genocide. The recent devastating floods shattered lives of the local population. The Gwadar Fencing Project is seen as a colonial project aimed at displacing indigenous populations from their ancestral lands. The fencing project is expected to disrupt the lives of local residents and change the demography of Gwadar city. The indigenous people are being alienated from the city, which is a clear violation of their rights. This shows the real intentions of Pakistani State for the residents of Gwadar. Local people suffers the wrath of floods and struggle for daily life survival. Now they are being treated as prisoners in their own land.
The Baloch masses have strongly resisted the fencing of Gwadar city. They view it as a colonial tactic to alienate local people from the city. There is a strong opposition to this project and demands for its immediate termination to safeguard the rights and well-being of the local population. Despite the resistance, the project, which was initially halted, is now being revived by the Balochistan provincial government. The fencing of 24 square kilometers in Gwadar is expected to exacerbate concerns regarding surveillance and control in the city.
The Gwadar Fencing Project is a contentious issue that has sparked widespread resistance and condemnation. It is high time that Baloch Nation should realize that without resistance we will be deprived of our own land. Tomorrow Gwadar will become a city of settlers only. The Gwadar Fencing need an immediate attention. The media channels and journalist around the globe should raise this concern of Gwadar Residents. Fencing a city without consent of Baloch Nation shows the occupier mindset of Pakistani State. It should be our responsibility to resist this on ground and media. Baloch Nation will never accept this colonial stragety.