By Dr Nazia Sher
Pakistan’s Blue Economy is often presented as one of the country’s most promising frontiers for future growth. With an extensive coastline, abundant marine resources and expanding regional trade opportunities, the sea has the potential to become a far stronger contributor to national prosperity than it is today. Yet such ambitions cannot be realised through policy statements alone. They require functioning infrastructure, sustained public investment and long-term planning. Few examples illustrate this reality more clearly than the condition of Pasni Fish Harbour, where years of neglect have left a once-vibrant fisheries hub struggling beneath sediment rather than serving the communities that depend upon it.
Located along Balochistan’s Makran Coast, Pasni Fish Harbour was conceived as a transformative project. Built between 1981 and 1989 with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank, it was designed to accommodate around 1,000 fishing vessels and serve as a modern gateway for Pakistan’s fisheries industry. For many years it fulfilled that role successfully. Fishermen found safe berthing facilities, seafood traders gained access to export markets, local businesses flourished and thousands of families relied on the harbour as the foundation of their livelihoods. The harbour represented not merely an engineering achievement but a source of economic confidence for an entire coastal region.
That promise gradually faded. Years of sediment accumulation, insufficient dredging and the absence of a comprehensive maintenance strategy steadily reduced the harbour’s operational capacity. Fishing boats found it increasingly difficult to navigate the entrance, forcing many operators to relocate to Gwadar or Karachi or use smaller, less suitable landing sites. The additional travel increased fuel costs, reduced profitability and weakened the competitiveness of local fisheries. What appeared to be a technical problem ultimately evolved into a broader economic and social challenge, affecting employment, household incomes and the wider seafood supply chain.
The decline of Pasni is particularly frustrating because its causes have long been understood. Scientific studies have consistently shown that wave patterns, tidal movements and weaknesses in the harbour’s existing protective structures encourage continuous sediment deposition. Engineers have also repeatedly concluded that emergency dredging, carried out whenever navigation becomes impossible, offers only temporary relief. Without structural improvements and a coordinated sediment management strategy, the harbour inevitably returns to the same state of decline.
This reflects a wider lesson that extends well beyond Pasni. Public infrastructure cannot be judged solely by the scale of its initial construction. Roads, dams, ports and harbours require maintenance as an integral part of their design, not as an afterthought. Across many developing countries, governments have often prioritised building new projects while allocating insufficient resources to preserve existing ones. The result is that valuable public assets gradually deteriorate until rehabilitation becomes far more expensive than routine maintenance would ever have been.
Encouragingly, there are signs that this cycle may finally be changing. The Balochistan government’s decision to approve a comprehensive feasibility study, backed by substantial funding and undertaken with the support of experienced engineering consultants, represents a more thoughtful approach than previous interventions. Rather than relying on another round of temporary dredging, the project seeks to understand the harbour’s long-term engineering requirements through detailed modelling, environmental assessments, maintenance planning and cost analysis. Such preparation may appear time-consuming, but careful planning is precisely what has been missing for decades.
A successful rehabilitation, however, should not be viewed as an isolated provincial development scheme. Its significance reaches far beyond the boundaries of Pasni itself. Pakistan’s coastline stretches for roughly one thousand kilometres, while its Exclusive Economic Zone encompasses an enormous maritime area rich in fisheries, aquaculture potential and other marine resources. These assets can only generate lasting economic returns if they are connected to efficient infrastructure capable of supporting modern fishing practices, seafood processing and international trade.
The fisheries sector remains an important source of employment and food security for coastal communities. Thousands of fishermen venture into the Arabian Sea each day, while processors, transporters, exporters and countless small businesses rely upon the industry for their incomes. Modern harbours are essential links within this economic chain. Efficient landing facilities, hygienic fish handling systems, cold storage infrastructure and quality control mechanisms all determine whether seafood reaches high-value international markets or remains confined to lower-value domestic trade. Reviving Pasni would therefore strengthen not only local livelihoods but Pakistan’s export competitiveness at a time when foreign exchange earnings remain critically important.
The project also speaks directly to the broader idea of a sustainable Blue Economy. Around the world, governments increasingly recognise that oceans must be managed as productive economic assets without sacrificing environmental health. Investment in resilient ports, responsible fisheries and climate-adapted coastal infrastructure forms part of this evolving approach. Pakistan has repeatedly expressed support for these principles, but translating ambition into visible results requires projects that demonstrate long-term commitment rather than short-term political announcements.
The story of Pasni Fish Harbour is ultimately about more than dredging channels or repairing breakwaters. It is about restoring confidence among communities whose lives have always been tied to the sea. It is about recognising that coastal development deserves the same national attention as highways, industrial zones and urban infrastructure. Most importantly, it is about proving that Pakistan’s Blue Economy is more than an attractive slogan. If Pasni can once again become a thriving fisheries hub, supporting exports, creating employment and strengthening coastal resilience, it will stand as evidence that informed planning, sustained investment and political resolve can transform neglected assets into engines of national progress.
(The writer is a research associate at the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), Pakistan. She focuses on fisheries maritime governance and policy, and blue economy development in Indian Ocean. She can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
