ISLAMABAD -- A massive sit-in protest has engulfed the Pakistani city of Gwadar, home to the country's flagship Belt and Road Initiative port project in the country, severely damaging prospects for more Chinese investment in Gwadar, experts say.
The monthlong sit-in, led by Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, a local political leader, has drawn thousands of people to the Give Rights to Gwadar Movement. The demonstrators, many of them women, are camped at the entrance to the Chinese-controlled port, where they listen to Rehman's fiery speeches. The protest has generated headlines in Pakistan and touched off a debate in the media.
