KARACHI, Feb 12: Elected and government directors of the Fishermen Cooperative Society will take up the fresh appointment issue on Feb 14 at a meeting to be held at Karachi Fish Harbour.

The meeting has been called by the FCS chairman Manzoor Ali Panwar, who had earlier appointed a committee empowering it to review the appointment list in accordance with the operational needs of the harbour.

It is reliably learnt that the committee, headed by the FCS vice-chairman Abuzar Mariwara, has finalized its recommendations and the same will be submitted in the meeting on Feb 14.

According to Mr Abuzar Mariwara, the issue has been amicably been settled. He said on the directive of the chairman, the committee had trimmed the list and retained only the essential staff.

He said for the first time a large number of people from fishermen families had been provided jobs. However, he did not agree that there was any crisis because of these fresh appointments. He rejected the idea that these appointments were made hastily without taking into consideration the financial position and the administrative needs of the Society.

He said the list had been trimmed and reiterated, "We have retained only essential staff for our security and administrative purposes." However, he said the board of directors would welcome any positive suggestion from any member of the board. "We must all respect the mandate of the board," he added.

Mr Mariwara said the FCS present administration was committed to bring about an improvement in the lifestyle of fishermen by providing them civic facilities. He said the government would soon announce a welfare package for the fishermen community in which housing facilities would be given top priority. In this regard, he said, FCS chairman Manzoor Ali Panwar had also made some recommendations.

Though the employment issue in the FCS was discussed many a times in the past because of increasing volume of the work at the port, no decision could be taken because of financial reasons.

The situation after the departure of navy personnel from the harbour, which created a great vacuum in the administrative function of the FCS, forced the FCS chairman to relax the restrictions on employment.

Official sources have confirmed that FCS chairman Manzoor Ali Panwar, who is holding the portfolio of Provincial Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, has called the Society's supreme body on Feb 14 to discuss the employment issue.