Government Fails to Stop Trawler Mafia, Billions Worth of Fish Being Stolen Annually: Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman

QUETTA: Member of the Haq Do Tehreek and Balochistan Assembly lawmaker Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman raised strong concerns over illegal trawler fishing, alleging that a powerful mafia is causing annual losses worth billions of rupees in marine resources.
During a session of the Balochistan Assembly, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman arrived holding a banner against the trawler mafia in Gwadar and placed it in front of his seat inside the assembly hall. The Speaker objected, stating that assembly rules do not permit banners inside the house.
Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman said that fish worth around Rs 200 billion is being stolen annually from Balochistan’s coastal waters, adding that such large-scale illegal operations cannot happen without financial transactions. He alleged that payments of three to four lakh rupees per trawler are being collected, questioning who is receiving this money. However, he clarified that he was not naming any individual.
Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Barkat Ali Rind challenged the allegations and demanded evidence from Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman regarding those involved in bribery or illegal dealings. He said that if evidence is provided, action will be taken against those responsible, adding that monitoring teams have already been deployed and in some cases, Fisheries Department teams have even faced firing incidents during operations.
He urged the lawmaker not to level unverified allegations and to cooperate in identifying those involved in illegal fishing activities.
Later, the Balochistan Assembly session was adjourned until 3 pm on May 8.