GWADAR: In a stark protest against Gwadar’s ongoing water crisis, Basheer Qasim, a resident of the Shambay Ismail Ward, began a hunger strike outside the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) office on Sunday, vowing to continue until water is restored to his community.
Residents told reporters that parts of Gwadar’s coastal district have been without water for 36 days, despite repeated complaints and numerous meetings with authorities that yielded little to no results.
Qasim said the protest would continue until the problem was resolved. “Our children have no water to drink, yet no one listens to us. I will continue my hunger strike until water reaches every home in Shambay Ismail Ward,” he said.
The demonstration quickly drew support from local councillor Yasir and several political and social activists, who stood alongside Qasim in solidarity. They criticized the authorities’ failure to address basic civic needs, highlighting the injustice of residents being forced to take extreme measures just to secure a fundamental necessity.
Political leaders described the situation as “shameful,” emphasizing the irony that while Gwadar is often showcased internationally as the flagship hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), its residents continue to struggle daily with shortages of water, electricity and healthcare.
Protestors called for the immediate restoration of the water supply to affected neighborhoods and warned that continued inaction could trigger a wider wave of demonstrations across the city.
As the hunger strike entered its first day, Qasim’s solitary stand had become a powerful symbol of Gwadar residents’ frustration, shining a spotlight on the human cost of chronic neglect in one of Pakistan’s most strategically important cities.
Political leaders also noted it was “shameful” that while officials across Pakistan and abroad collect funds in Gwadar’s name, the city itself remains deprived of basic necessities.
