THATTA: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) has claimed that a ‘systematic plunder’ of fisheries workshop and warehouse in Makli going on for nearly a week has been foiled with the help of local journalists and fishermen.

PFF Senior Vice Chairperson Yasmeen Ali Shah said she had been receiving complaints about the alleged plunder during night hours over the last week. As the suspicious activity was continuing on Friday night as well, she along with local fishermen and journalists visited the warehouse and saw machinery, power generator, fishing equipment, ice boxes, fishing nets and other articles meant for the fishing community being loaded on a truck, Ms Shah said.

She said that the warehouse incharge Daniyal Arain was supervising the activity. She said she asked him about any official order for this transportation activity, he replied that it was being done on ‘verbal directives’ of Fisheries Director General Siraj Ahmed Solangi and Khaleeq Rehman Soomro.

A security guard at the workshop said that two / three trucks were loaded during night hours daily for the last five days to shift the cargo to an undisclosed place.

Journalists Nazeer Qureshi, Ali Akbar Dalwani, Shafique Ahmed Abdani, Lala Shoaib and Shehryar Siddiqui, who accompanied Ms Shah, grilled the warehouse staff over the matter but they slipped away without giving a satisfactory reply. “Only security guards and peons stayed on,” they said.

Speaking to Dawn, Yasmeen Shah said she made many attempts to contact DG Solangi to seek his version on the issue but he did not respond.

She said the items stopped from being taken away included heavy machinery, dozers, tractors, excavators, boats and large-sized generators, all originally allocated for fishermen belonging to Thatta and Sujawal districts.

They were meant for fishermen community’s rescue and livelihood support programmes, she added.

The PFF has demanded a transparent probe into the alleged plunder and urged the Sindh government to release an updated inventory of all machinery, equipment and other items allocated to the community members belonging to the two districts.

Ms Shah said she had already lodged written complaints with the Sindh chief minister, Anti-Corruption Establishment, fisheries DG and the DCs concerned, besides other relevant authorities.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2025