Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Balochistan chief and MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch has strongly opposed any potential move to place Gwadar under federal administration, warning that top-down decisions by the establishment would spark intense resistance from political forces and local residents.
Addressing a press conference at the Gwadar Press Club, the JI leader dismissed ongoing discussions regarding federal control or new administrative divisions as tactics to test public reaction. Key points raised during his address include:
- Rejection of Top-Down Governance: Rehman criticized the current political climate as a “dictatorship” despite functioning assemblies, asserting that critical national decisions are being driven through proxies rather than parliamentary debate.
- Critique of Security Checkpoints: Calling security posts across the region tools of public harassment rather than protection, he pledged to remove unnecessary checkpoints within 24 hours if given administrative authority.
- Stance on Administrative Units: While acknowledging that creating new districts is acceptable through parliamentary consensus, he categorized any move to federate Gwadar as a conspiratorial effort that will be fiercely opposed.
Rehman reaffirmed that his party will continue to use democratic and peaceful means, both in the legislature and on the streets, to defend the rights of the local population.
