ISLAMABAD: An international rights organization on Friday reacted to popular protests and arrests in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar, saying it was “alarmed” by the developments while emphasizing the right of people to express their grievances peacefully.

Gwadar is at the heart of a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) where workers from Beijing have been involved in the development of the port on the Arabian Sea. The residents of the city say, however, the Chinese investment in the region has done little to improve their lives, particularly with regards to water scarcity and employment opportunities.

Protests against the lack of basic facilities first started in November 2021 under the banner of “Give Gwadar its Rights” but dissipated after the government negotiated with demonstrators and promised to meet their demands. Around two months ago, these protests broke out again and more recently led to the killing of a police constable, making the provincial authorities in Balochistan prohibit large gatherings by imposing Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

There was also a shutdown of Internet and mobile phone services in the area while some local newspapers said over a hundred protesters had been arrested by the authorities.

“Amnesty International is alarmed by reports of mass arrests and the imposition of emergency law following protests in Gwadar,” the rights organization said in a Twitter post. “People have the right to express discontent peacefully and the state has an obligation to facilitate this right.”

Balochistan’s home minister Meer Zia Ullah Langau maintained in a Twitter post on Thursday local forces were trying to peacefully deal with protests in Gwadar but had to use its emergency powers after the constable was killed.

However, protest leader Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman said the provincial authorities were taking coercive measures while asking why the Internet and mobile services had been suspended in the area.

Balochistan has long been a scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad.

Authorities in Balochistan have often faced criticism for using force to quell dissenting voices against the state.