Haq Do Tehreek Leader Urges Reopening of Gwadar Border Crossings to Alleviate Unemployment

Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, leader of Haq Do Tehreek, calls for reopening border crossings from Gwadar to Chaman, warning of potential desperate measures by laborers if the situation remains unaddressed. He criticizes the government's closure of borders, which has severely impacted local employment in Balochistan.

In a critical appeal, Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, leader of Haq Do Tehreek (HDT), has urged authorities to reopen all border crossings from Gwadar to Chaman. Rehman emphasized that local laborers, struggling to make ends meet, could resort to desperate measures, including suicide bombings, if the issue remains unresolved, Dawn reported.

Addressing a press conference, Rehman highlighted that border trade is a source of livelihood for three million people and that peace cannot be attained without providing them employment opportunities. The event was also attended by Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Maulana Abdul Hameed Mansoori and Abdul Wali Shakir. Rehman accused the Apex Committee of exacerbating poverty and unemployment in Balochistan by ordering the closure of border crossings without considering local circumstances.

"The government justifies these closures by labelling border trade as smuggling, yet it offers no alternative employment for nearly three million people reliant on trade with Afghanistan and Iran," Rehman stated. He criticized the limited local workforce in factories within Lasbela and the lack of industrial infrastructure in Balochistan. "With the government able to provide only 5,000 jobs annually, thousands of educated youths remain jobless," he lamented.

Balochistan is among Pakistan's poorest provinces, where local communities rarely benefit from resource extraction, leading to widespread poverty and unemployment. Rehman pointed out that laborers risk their lives on dangerous routes due to the dire need for employment, facing hazards such as accidents and vehicle failures.

Rehman dismissed the Apex Committee's claim that border trade harms the economy, suggesting that the elite should reduce their perks rather than eliminate jobs. The provincial government faces challenges in obtaining a fair share of revenue from resource exploitation, which is often dominated by federal authorities or private entities. Additionally, Rehman accused district officials of earning significant sums through extortion at border points in Panjgur, Gwadar, and Kech, asserting that these illicit activities, not border trade, are the real economic burden.

(With inputs from agencies.)