KARACHI: High officials discuss fishing dispute tomorrow
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 17: The high officials of Sindh and Balochistan will meet here on Tuesday to discuss a three-decade- old fishing dispute between the two provinces in the backdrop of a firing incident in Makran coast in which a Karachi-based fisherman was killed.
The meeting will be attended by chief secretaries of the two provinces, besides fisheries officials on both sides.
An official of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society confirmed that FCS chairman Syed Tayyab Naqvi, representatives of the Sindh Trawler Owners and Fishermen’s Association, and the Fishermen’s Action Committee would also attend the meeting.
Despite opening of the harbour’s channel, the protest by the action committee is still continuing, causing partial disturbance to the free boat morning.
The action committee is insisting on its demand for a complete ban on extortion of money from the Karachi-based trawlers allegedly by Balochistan officials and arrest of all officials involved in the firing incident in the Makran coast.
The incident caused resentment in the fishermen community who blocked the Karachi Fish Harbour’s channel for 13 days and threatened to destroy the fishing vessels from Balochistan.
The situation also forced the Sindh government to impose a ban on the sale of fish catch transported from Balochistan by road and sea for sale in Karachi Fish Harbour.
The Balochistan fishermen accused the highly-mechanized fishing boats of plundering the seafood resources in the province.
They also accused the newly-created Balochistan Coastal Development Authority of legalizing the plunder of fisheries resources by imposing a fee on the operation of these trawlers.
There are around 3,000 Karachi-based trawlers engaged in fishing in Makran coast. After September they have been paying a licence fee for fishing in the coast.
But the Karachi-based trawlers claimed that apart from the official fee, they were also forced to pay a “batha” to the officials of the Balochistan fisheries department.
The small fishermen of that province also complained that these officials minted quick millions by allowing or ignoring the illegal trawling and fishing in Balochistan coast.
Fisheries sources said the contentious issues between the two provinces needed an immediate attention as it was also harming national harmony, besides economic and financial losses to both the government and fishermen.
The sense of insecurity among the Karachi-based fishermen was a great source of concern and not a good omen for the future, said Babu Ismail, President of Mole-Owners Association.
He urged the federal government to intervene in the matter and find out a solution to the problem by taking all key players into confidence.
