Grief, despair grip fishermen community

The city's coastal fishing hub, Ibrahim Hyderi, remained in shock when the body of a young fisherman - Zeeshan - was handed over to the family after the burial of his father Ayub on Sunday who, along with fellow fishermen, drowned after their fishing boat capsized near Gwadar due to strong winds on Saturday.

When Zeeshan's body was brought home, his mother and sisters fainted from shock. The entire neighbourhood was overwhelmed with sorrow and despair. However, government officials and relevant institutions remained noticeably absent - a silence that deepened the pain of the grieving family.

Ayub and Zeeshan, like many poor fishermen, had ventured into the open sea off Gwadar in search of livelihood. Tragically, their boat met with an accident. Among the six fishermen on board, two were from Ali Akbar Shah Goth and four from Machhar Colony.

Chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Mehran Ali Shah, expressed sorrow and called on the government and senior officials of the Fishermen Cooperative Society to provide financial assistance to the bereaved families. He emphasised that these fishermen contribute billions of rupees in revenue annually to the provincial government, yet no official from the government or the cooperative society came forward in their hour of need.

Meanwhile, local leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) - UC-11 Chairman Muhammad Rafiq Al-Husseini, Vice Chairman Azeem Ferozani, and General Councillor Shams Alam Farooqi - also expressed their condolences. They stated that the deceased fishermen were loyal PPP workers and voters, and urged Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and local MNA and MPA to personally visit the affected families.