Not against CPEC, need rights, says Gwadar MPA

Quetta: Member of Provincial Assembly from Gwadar, Hidayat-ur-Rehman on Wednesday said he was not against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The MPA said, “I am not against CPEC but against the discrimination with the local population. My struggle revolves around the rights of the people of the port town.

He said projects worth billion of rupee was launched in Gwadar and the local people are not taken into account. I have no objection, if Chinese government, companies and our government continue with CPEC, the only demand I present is to ensure the rights of the local people should not be compromised. “If the local population is deprived of drinking water, uninterrupted power, vocational trainings education and jobs, so how one can expect that people of Gwadar will not raise voice for their rights,” he deplored. It is worth mentioning here that Mr Hidayat staged sit-in in the heart of Gwadar for what he called the violation of the rights of the local population of Gwadar.

He was arrested in year 2022 and jailed while the consistency to his stance led him to win the provincial assembly seat. The political pundit say the authorities concerned are coerced to pay heed to the complaints of Mr Hidayat as he has now become the elected member of the constitutional assembly. The firm, resolve of the Gwadar MPA and government that owns CPEC is convivial signs for the success of the Road and Belt Initiative Project.