Thousands of protesters brought a Pakistan port city to a standstill on Monday, igniting clashes in which a soldier and a demonstrator were killed, authorities said.聽
Protesters in Gwadar, home to a mega port operated by China, have rallied against alleged rights abuses, mass arrests and unfair exploitation of resources since Saturday, joined by several thousand more demonstrators elsewhere in Balochistan province.
Pakistan鈥檚 military said one soldier was killed and 16 wounded on Monday as a result of the 鈥榰nlawful violent march鈥�.
A government official in Gwadar told AFP on condition of anonymity that attempts by people to bypass roadblocks and join the protest led to clashes.
鈥極ne civilian protester, a shopkeeper in Gwadar, was killed in the clash,鈥� the official said, adding that the man was killed on Sunday.
Strategically located on the Arabian Sea, the port in Gwadar is part of China鈥檚 sprawling Belt and Road Initiative.
Authorities have imposed a communication blackout in parts of Balochistan, Pakistan鈥檚 largest and poorest province where insurgents have battled the government for decades, and blocked roads to prevent people from joining the demonstrations.
鈥極ur democratic right is not being given to us by the government,鈥� one of the protest organisers, Beberg Baloch, a leader of the rights group Baloch Yakjeti Committee (BYC), told AFP.
鈥榃e are being arrested, shot at, and tortured,鈥� he said.
The government says the protesters do not have permission to congregate in the city, where the port has been targeted multiple times by Baloch nationalist militants.
BYC organisers said one person was killed in the port city, and two others were killed at another protest site.
Rights watchdog Amnesty International expressed alarm at the 鈥榰nlawful and unnecessary鈥� use of force by security forces.
In a post on social media platform X, Amnesty said that security forces opened fire at protesters during an earlier gathering on Saturday, injuring 14 people.
Balochistan鈥檚 government said that more than 20 people had been arrested in Gwadar but did not comment on reported deaths or injuries.
BYC was formed to fight for a greater share of benefits for the resource-rich province, which remains the country鈥檚 least developed despite being home to a number of key projects including multi-billion-dollar gold and copper mines operated by international companies.
