The federal government has once again shown interest in starting mega-projects along the Sindh coastline. Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has announced an ambitious plan to transform the Ziarat Hasan Shah Island into a premier eco-tourism and lifestyle destination.

The plan envisages to make the island a flagship destination for eco-tourism, sports tourism and lifestyle retreats. The minister said that the project was expected to generate 1,000 to 1,500 jobs during construction, followed by 1,200 to 1,800 long-term jobs once the project becomes operational. The official handout added that the project will be developed under a build-operate-transfer framework, through private investors experienced in tourism, hospitality and leisure development.

However, the minister did not mention any consultation or understanding with the provincial government regarding the project to be built on the island. The island is a sandy beach site accessible by road from Port Qasim adjacent to Kadiro Creek in Karachi. The site is also accessible via Ibrah Hyderi village through a boat ride of about two hours. The island has a length of four kilometres and a width varying from 100 to 500 metres.

It is not uninhabited. The local fishing community has strong cultural and spiritual ties with the island. They frequent the site to pay homage at the shrine of Hazrat Syed Shah Hassan and family elders buried in a nearby graveyard. The shrine is said to be 800 years old. Annual urs of the saint is celebrated with great reverence and festivity as thousands of devotees throng at the shrine. An inn, a mosque and some water tanks have been constructed to facilitate the devotees.

The federal minister did not mention any consultation with the provincial government regarding the project.

Presumably, the Port Qasim Authority considers the location to be its territory. In 2020, a similar investment plan was announced for the twin islands named Bundal and Buddo. The then president Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated the Pakistan Islands Development Authority Ordinance whereby the two islands were brought under federal control and jurisdiction. Through the ordinance the prime minister was designated as patron of the authority. A policy board of five to eleven members was to be appointed by the federal government. The government of Sindh had initially consented. However, civil society, environmental groups and fishing community strongly reacted to the ordinance. This forced the provincial government to backtrack. The Sindh cabinet rejected the ordinance and demanded its withdrawal. The Sindh government also formally revoked its prior endorsement. Given the controversy, the federal government did not table the ordinance before the parliament, allowing it to lapse.

Some legal experts are of the opinion that the federal government lacks jurisdiction over the coastal belt as Article 172(1) of the constitution recognises provincial ownership. The article reads “any property which has no rightful owner shall, if located in a Province, vest in the Government of that Province, and in every other case, in the Federal Government.”

The two islands, spread over an area of 12,000 acres have remained a subject of controversy. The federal government had made two similar attempts in 2006 and 2013 to gain control of the twin islands. In 2006, a Dubai-based real estate group and in 2013 two investment groups had expressed interest in building ostentatious neighborhoods for oligarchs on these islands. However, the civil society and the provincial government had opposed the plans.

The recent announcement appears to be a similar move. The provincial government leased the area to Port Qasim Authority for port operations and not for all kinds of commercial ventures. Under Article 172(2) of the constitution, coastal land within territorial waters belongs to the province and no federal entity has a right over it. The project can stoke fresh political controversy.

The writer is a civil society professional; [email protected].