ISLAMABAD — Massive protests have erupted in the southwestern Pakistani city of Gwadar, home of a Chinese-controlled port, raising significant worries for China.

Life in Gwadar has been disrupted since Friday due to the protests organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a group focused on civil, political and economic rights in Balochistan province.

Gwadar is the center stage of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. China operates Gwadar’s deep-sea port, which it built in 2006. China has also completed building an airport in Gwadar, Pakistan’s largest, which is scheduled to start operating later this year.

Balochistan’s 15 million people are a fraction of Pakistan’s 240 million, but the province is rich in natural resources that generate sizable revenue for the federal government.

Thousands of people arrived in Gwadar after the BYC’s 31-year-old chief organizer, Mahrang Baloch, called for a Baloch National Gathering on Sunday, demanding the recovery of victims of enforced disappearances and making the Baloch people beneficiaries of Chinese-funded projects.

The port town has been sealed off and internet and phone connections have been cut, severing all communications with the rest of the country. The provincial government of Balochistan blocked all highways leading to Gwadar. Despite this, a large number of protesters managed to reach Gwadar.

On Sunday night, the BYC says, the government cracked down on the protesters, resulting in clashes. The BYC claimed that at least one protester was killed, seven were wounded and hundreds were arrested.

Police officers detain a Balochistan Yakjehti Committee supporter in Karachi on July 31 as she was arriving with others for a press conference after activists were detained during what they call the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar.   © Reuters

The Pakistan Army’s mouthpiece, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), denied the BYC’s claims.

“A violent mob in the garb of so-called ‘Baloch Raji Muchi’ assaulted security forces personnel employed for duties in Gwadar district. A soldier was martyred and 16 others, including an officer, were injured in unprovoked assaults by violent protesters in Gwadar district,” the ISPR said in a statement.

Following the crackdown, the BYC turned its gathering into a sit-in protest in Gwadar, which was ongoing at the time this report was filed.

In reaction to the crackdown, BYC supporters carried out protest rallies and blocked major highways in several parts of the province. Train services between Pakistan and Iran were also suspended due to the protests. Southern Balochistan has been disconnected from the rest of the country since Friday.

Amnesty International, in a statement on Sunday, called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately lift the internet shutdown in Balochistan and fulfill its obligations under domestic and international human rights law to facilitate people’s right to peaceful protest by lifting the road blockades to allow freedom of movement for protesters.

Experts believe that the massive protests have rattled Beijing, which is already under pressure due to security threats to its interests in the region.

“Chinese factor has emboldened the protesters and given them more leverage,” said Muhammad Shoaib, an assistant professor at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad. He added that the Chinese are concerned about the protests in Gwadar.

Kiyya Baloch, an independent security analyst, told Nikkei Asia, “By using force against a peaceful movement with significant public support, the Pakistani government risks driving more Baloch youth toward [militancy], which will also complicate China’s investment efforts in Gwadar, as it seeks a peaceful environment for its projects.”

A Balochistan government official, speaking to Nikkei on condition of anonymity, questioned the choice of Gwadar as the venue for the protests, saying, “This protest is meant to sabotage CPEC projects in Gwadar.”

Experts say there are multiple reasons for choosing Gwadar for the protests.

Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Sanober Institute, an Islamabad-based think tank, believes that Gwadar was chosen to internationalize Baloch issues. “BYC chose Gwadar to give a message to foreign investors, particularly China, that they should also talk to Baloch people and must not talk with state functionaries only,” he told Nikkei.

Tania Baloch, a veteran Baloch journalist and political analyst based in Canada, said Pakistani citizens have a constitutional right to hold protests anywhere in the country. “Gwadar is under global attention due to CPEC, and therefore BYC chose this as venue to get more attention,” she said.

Furthermore, Pakistan is finalizing a $3 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund, and for that it has asked China to allow delayed payment on $15 billion of debt it owes to Chinese power producers. The ongoing situation in Gwadar could influence China’s decision.

“Debts restructuring is an ongoing topic between China and Pakistan, and it will not be impacted by the protests,” Cheema said. “China does not interfere in domestic issues of its partner countries, so it will not interfere in protests in any way.”