KARACHI: In a lead-up to World Environment Day, the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), in collaboration with the Indus Consortium, organised a ‘Youth Cycle Rally’ near the Korangi Fish Harbour on Sunday.

The rally brought together youth as well as men and women from the fisherfolk communities.

Holding placards, banners, and flags, they chanted slogans demanding an end to liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion and called for sustainable, community-focused energy alternatives.

They said such projects were wreaking havoc on the environment and devastating coastal communities.

Addressing the gathering, senior vice president of PFF Fatima Majeed warned that LNG projects were not only unsustainable, but they were also actively endangering ecosystems and livelihoods along Pakistan’s coastline.

“LNG is being sold as a cleaner fuel, but its extraction, processing, and transport are deeply harmful to our environment and people,” she pointed out.

PFF secretary general Saeed Baloch and other leaders including Majeed Motani, Ayoub Shan and Talib Katchhi, were also part of the rally.

They emphasised that the LNG infrastructure, including terminals and pipelines, had blocked traditional fishing routes and their access to the sea. “This has resulted in a sharp decline in fish catch, pushing many fisherfolk families further into poverty,” one of the fishermen said.

They also raised concerns about the industrial discharge and marine pollution caused by these facilities, which had increased water toxicity and harmed marine biodiversity.

The expansion of fossil gas projects in the name of development, the participants argued, is a false solution to the energy crisis.

Instead of moving towards renewable energy, Pakistan’s continued investment in LNG risks locking the country into long-term environmental degradation and community displacement.

“We are raising our voices not just for ourselves but for the generations to come,” said one young participant of the rally. “We demand a clean, just, and sustainable energy future.”

The rally concluded with a renewed call to policymakers to halt LNG expansions and prioritise the needs of vulnerable communities and the environment over corporate profit.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025