STP rejects Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill 2021

Sindh Taraqipasand Party (STP) Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi has rejected the Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill, 2021, which has been tabled in the Senate.

He contended that only the provinces have exclusive rights over the coastline and in Sindh's case, only the provincial government has the right over all natural resources, land and water located within its geographical boundaries.

In a statement issued on Friday, Magsi argued that the bill authorises the federal government to set sea boundaries and to own natural or artificial islands in the sea, allowing the centre to settle people from other provinces and nationalists on those islands.

He also criticised the bill's provision that gives the centre authority to launch economic zones on the islands, stating that it violates the rights of the province and opens doors for creating new settlements for people who do not belong to Sindh.

He recalled that the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan had also attempted to occupy the islands of Sindh through an ordinance, but the people of the province resisted and protected those islands. Magsi expressed concerns that fishermen who have been inhabiting those islands for centuries would be expelled from their homes if the bill is enacted.

The STP's chairman warned that the people of Sindh will not tolerate attempts to change the province's demography and said they will launch a protest movement across the province if the bill is not withdrawn.

The National Assembly passed the bill on February 3, and if enacted, it will replace the Territorial Water and Maritime Zones Act, 1976, and its 1997 amendment.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2023.