KARACHI, Nov 20: The All-parties Conference (APC) has demanded announcement of a sustainable fishing policy without any further delay to save the livelihood of three million people who depend on this sector directly or indirectly.

The demand was made at the APC organized by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in a local hotel on Thursday. The moot was presided over by PFF chief Mohammad Ali Shah. Capt Faheem-uz-Zaman, ex-administrator of the now defunct KMC, was the moderator.

Speakers on the occasion demanded cancellation of the licences issued to deep-sea trawlers to operate in the country’s territorial waters. They contended that the trawlers had destroyed fishing grounds and forced the local fishermen into an acute poverty. They also urged the government to ban the use of prohibited nets — Bholo, Gajjo, etc., effectively by strengthening the existing legal provisions and monitoring system.

The participants of the APC included Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmad of Jamaat-i-Islami, Yusuf Masti Khan of National Workers Party, Senator Nisar Memon and Mehfoozyar Khan of PML-Q, Abdul Khaliq Junejo of Jeay Sindh Mahaz, MNA Sherry Rehman, MPAs Nasreen Chandio, Abdullah Murad and Muzaffar Ali Shujra of PPP, Muhammad Amin Khattak of NAP, Saeed Ahmad of PPP-ZB, and representatives of the stakeholders Haji Mohammad Shafi Jamote, Ramzan Memon, Mubarak Baloch and Prof Noman.

At the start of the conference, a documentary film of Mubarak Village was also screened to highlight fishermen’s miseries.

Mr Yusuf Masti Khan pledged that his party would be in the forefront if any struggle was launched by the PFF for the rights of the fishermen. He suggested that instead of facilitating foreign trawlers, financial assistance to local fishermen should be provided so that marine resources could be utilized for the protection of national interest.

Mr Abdul Khaliq Junejo said criticized framing of fishing policies in Islamabad and Lahore, as is practice in vogue, and demanded devolution of policy-making institutions to local authorities.

Prof Ghafoor Ahmad said that fishermen are an important segment of our society but a large proportion of the population was not aware of their problems. The issues being highlighted today are no different in intensity from those faced by other oppressed segments of our society, he observed. He assured the PFF that his party would raise all the issues pin-pointed by it at the conference in the Senate and National Assembly.

Ms Sherry Rehman, speaking on the occasion, suggested that recommendations for a proper policy be prepared in consultation with all stakeholders. She held out the assurance that her party would take up the issues at appropriate forums and would never disappoint fishermen.

Ms Nasreen Chandio said that she had submitted a resolution with the Sindh Assembly in March 2002 regarding the fishermen community’s grievances, but it could not be taken up by the House. In October this year also, the resolution was brought on the assembly’s agenda and again it could not be taken up. Now, she hoped, the resolution might be taken up by the House when it resumed session next month.

Mr Mehfoozyar Khan, Haji Shafi Jamote, Mr Amin Khattak, Mr Nisar Memon and Mr Ramazan Baloch also supported fishermen’s demands.

Ramzan Memon, Abdullah Murad, Mubarak Baloch, Prof Noman and Saeed Ahmad also assured the PFF of all possible support from their respective parties.