Pakistan: Baloch Government officials trying to convince Haq Do Tehreek protesters to end their agitation

Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove and Adviser to Balochistan CM Lala Rasheed met with the HDT leadership, but with little goodwill between the two sides, talks failed to make any headway, reports Dawn News.

Langove said the government was making “all-out efforts’’ to address the protesters’ grievances and hoped to find a way out with negotiations.

While the minister appeared hopeful, HDT leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman refused to even participate in the negotiations and the government delegation had to meet the second-tier leadership.

Rehman blames the government’s “non-serious attitude” for the impasse.

Talking to Dawn, Rehman — a veteran politician from Gwadar — said the provincial government has failed to address their concerns for a long time.

He said the locals were protesting over “genuine issues” including, illegal trawling in Gwadar’s water, high number of security checkpoints and trade on Pak-Iran border.

“These are issues of the Baloch. There is no trade at the Pakistan-Iran border. There are still a great number of checkpoints. The issue of illegal trawling still persists,” he told Dawn.