Karachi : Gwadar Fishing Boat Tragedy — Son’s Body Handed Over to Family After Father’s Burial, Grief Grips Community
In Karachi’s coastal fishing hub of Ibrahim Hyderi, tragedy has struck the Ali Akbar Shah Goth neighborhood. After the burial of fisherman Ayub, the body of his young son Zeeshan was also handed over to the family. When Zeeshan’s body arrived at the home, his grieving mother and sisters fainted from shock. The entire neighborhood was overwhelmed with sorrow and despair, yet 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 in Karachi.
Chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Mehran Ali Shah, expressed deep sorrow and called on the Sindh government and senior officials of the Fishermen Cooperative Society to provide urgent financial assistance to the bereaved families. He emphasized 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 Councilor Shams Alam Farooqi — also expressed their condolences. They stated that the deceased fishermen were loyal PPP workers and voters, and urged Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, as well as the local MNA and MPA to personally visit the affected families and ensure their rehabilitation.
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum’s Media Coordinator Kamal Shah said this tragedy is yet another painful reminder of the neglect and hardships faced by the fishing community. He appealed to the media and civil society to amplify the voices of these grieving families and bring their plight to the attention of those in power.
