KARACHI, Nov 21: Fishermen belonging to the coastal areas of Sindh staged a rally to observe the World Fisheries Day here on Monday and renewed their pledge to continue their struggle against the “exploitative contract system” in the province.
The participants of the rally, men and women along with their children, wearing paper caps and carrying buntings, posters, placards with pictures of fishes, boats and water-waves converged at the Karachi Press Club.
The crowd raised slogans against deep-sea fishing policy and arrests of the fishermen by the coastal authorities in Pakistan and India.
Earlier, the rally organized by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum started from Regal Chowk and after passing from Zaibun Nisa Street terminated at the KPC. Among others, it was addressed by PFF chairman Mohammad Ali Shah.
They urged the government to do away with the contract system in the coastal areas of Badin and Thatta, where fishermen have been subjected to ruthless exploitation by the middlemen.
They were of the view that anti-national fisheries policies framed without the consultation of the real representatives of the fishermen communities would not be accepted.
The speakers also demanded for the provisions of basic amenities to the coastal communities of the Indus Delta and called for the release of 35MAF of river water in the downstream of Kotri Barrage to rehabilitate the Indus Delta, where water scarcity had deprived thousand of fishermen from livelihood.
A cultural programme was also organized on the occasion that enthralled the audiences.
According to a PFF press release, the World Fisheries Day was also observed in the water zones of Balochistan, NWFP and Punjab.
Meanwhile, former chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Abuzar Mariwara, have urged the government to address the longstanding grievances of the fishermen communities immediately.
In an appeal, on the occasion of the World Fisheries Day, he drew the attention of the government to the problems of the fishermen community, particularly the affairs of the society.
He said that the elections of the Board of the Society had been held on Aug 4 last when he was holding the charge of the acting chairman of the society and soon after the election he relinquished the charge to pave the way for the new chairman.
Mr Mariwara regretted that the authorities instead of calling the board’s meeting for electing a new chairman constituted a three-member managing committee to run the affairs of the society and it failed to solve the problems of fishermen.
In this regard, he referred to the construction of a jetty for small fishermen at the Karachi Fish Harbour.
Maintaining that the managing committee had failed to come up to the expectations of fishermen, he said the situation demanded that the government should call the board’s meeting or hold fresh elections.
KARACHI, Nov 21: Fishermen belonging to the coastal areas of Sindh staged a rally to observe the World Fisheries Day here on Monday and renewed their pledge to continue their struggle against the “exploitative contract system” in the province.
