Balochistan Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2026: Severe Concern Over Absence of Relevant Secretary on Important Legislation

Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta) — An important meeting of the Standing Committee on Fisheries was held in the Committee Room of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly Secretariat, chaired by Committee Chairman Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch. Committee members Abdul Majeed Badini, Zafar Ali Agha, Barkat Ali Rind, Mir Zahoor Buledi, and Safia Fazal participated in the meeting, while Secretary Balochistan Assembly Tahir Shah Kakar, Special Secretary Assembly Abdul Rehman, Director General Fisheries, Additional Secretary Fisheries, Additional Secretary Law, and other relevant officials were also present.

At the start of the meeting, the Fisheries Department gave a detailed briefing to the committee regarding the Balochistan Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2026. The briefing stated that the existing laws related to fisheries, aquaculture, fisheries harbors, and coastal development in Balochistan are extremely old and divided among various laws, including the Balochistan Fisheries Ordinance 1961, the Balochistan Sea Fisheries Ordinance 1971, the Pasni Fisheries Harbour Authority Ordinance 1983, and the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority Act 1998.

Due to these old laws, administrative and legal gaps and mutual overlap in institutional powers are arising in certain matters. According to the briefing, the primary objective of the proposed bill is to formulate an integrated and modern legal system for the fisheries and aquaculture sector, under which sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, harbors and coastal development, licensing, digital governance, monitoring and surveillance, environmental protection, and the welfare of fishermen can be made effective. The proposed law also suggests aligning provincial legislation with international best practices.

The bill also includes a proposal to dissolve the Pasni Fisheries Harbour Authority and the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority and transfer all their assets, liabilities, functions, and responsibilities to the Fisheries and Coastal Development Department, so that institutional performance, coordination, and administrative affairs can be made more effective.

On this occasion, Committee Chairman Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman expressed severe concern over the absence of the relevant department’s secretary on this important bill. He said in unequivocal terms that the presence of relevant senior officials is essential on such an important legislative matter so that the committee can be fully informed of all aspects.

Committee members also emphasized that the opinions of the public, fishermen, and fish farmers must be included on the Balochistan Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2026. Members said that since this bill is directly related to coastal areas, poor fishermen, and classes associated with fish farming, broad consultation with relevant stakeholders in Gwadar and Lasbela is inevitable before final progress on it.

The committee unanimously decided that the next meeting on the bill will be held in Gwadar, in which fish farmers and other relevant representatives will be specially invited to obtain their suggestions and opinions. If a formal meeting cannot be held, a large seminar will be organized in Gwadar on this important subject to obtain the opinions of the public and relevant stakeholders.

The meeting also decided that during consideration of the bill, representatives of the Finance Department and the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) will also be included, while to familiarize the general public with all the features and importance of this bill, its key points will be widely publicized through the media.

Committee members fully agreed that modern and comprehensive legislation is an important need of the time for the sustainable promotion, protection, effective management and administration of the precious fisheries and aquaculture resources in Balochistan and for the welfare of fishermen. However, to achieve this objective, it is also essential to include the effective consultation and suggestions of all relevant stakeholders. At the end of the meeting, Committee Chairman Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch thanked all members.