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A police constable was killed in the Pakistani port city of Gwadar as clashes between the locals and police continued for the second consecutive day, the Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Police said a constable was shot in the neck after violence erupted during the protest at the Hashmi Chowk. "He passed away on the spot," they said. Police spokesperson Aslam Khan told Dawn that police had decided to register a murder case against Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who has been leading the protest in the city. The clashes occurred between protesters and security forces as protests against illegal fishing turned violent after protest leaders were arrested, The Balochistan Post reported. The HDT activists have been protesting in the city for nearly two months. According to the Pakistani daily, their demands include an end to illegal trawling in Gwadar's water, high number of security checkpoints and an opening up of trade on the Pak-Iran border. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove pointed out that some of the Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) demands did not fall under the provincial government's jurisdiction. "Some non-paid custom ships were caught but we don't have the authority to release them." In a statement, he explained that HDT's demands regarding the border and Gwadar port were "fair" but regretted that the provincial authorities could not do anything about them. The Balochistan minister said that most of their demands are related to the federal government. "We have the right to take action against protestors who take the law in their hands," he added. Earlier, Ziaullah said police have arrested 18 HDT people who attacked the police complex and set the complex gate on fire and were insisting to block Gwadar port. "Whoever will break or take the law into their own hands would be dealt with according to the law, even if Maulana is found involved in it," he warned. (ANI)
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