KARACHI, Sept 22: Fishermen from across the city and several islands would stop their professional activities and converge on the Karachi Fish Harbour on Thursday as a mark of protest against the inordinate delay in the holding of the meeting of the Fishermen Cooperative Society's Board of Directors.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on Aug 10 but was postponed on higher authorities' directive. Agenda of the meeting was election for a new chairman and vice-chairman.

The 15-member Board is the highest policy-making body of the FCS which manages fisheries business and collects revenue from commission agents in accordance with the Society's by-laws.

The income from the auction of fish and shrimp is spent on fishermen's welfare. In the absence of elected chairman and vice-chairman, the FCS affairs are being looked after by an acting chairman for the time being.

The seven elected directors of the Board, representing segments of the fishermen community, have been criticizing the government for not holding the meeting. They have also threatened that they themselves would now convene the same.

The Thursday rally, to be led by all the seven elected directors, is expected to draw a large number of fishermen from Ibrahim Haideri, Yunisabad, Baba and Bhit islands, Shamspir, Kaka Village, Mubarak Village, Khadda, Daryabad, Kalri, and other localities dominated by fishermen community.