KARACHI: The fishermen of Sindh have warned the provincial government to immediately end the encroachment on all freshwater lakes.

In a meeting with fishermen, the chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), Mehran Ali Shah, stated that the illegal occupation of the lakes has created significant unrest among the poor fishermen.

“We won’t allow anyone to exploit the peaceful situation. We won’t allow anyone to occupy the lakes and disturb the livelihood of the fishermen,” Mr Shah said.

He continued, “The provincial government has the power, and it should take strict action to support our fishermen.”

The fishermen have been raising their concerns for the past two weeks regarding the illegal occupation of Kakaho Lake, located in the Sanghar district, by the Hongorjo community, as well as other lakes by influential feudal lords in the coastal belt of Sindh.

The fishermen said that they have been protesting for a long time against the powerful landlords who are rendering hundreds of fishermen jobless.

“They do not listen to poor fishermen. They want to occupy our resources,” said Ramzan Mallah, PFF’s general secretary. He added that his organisation will not abandon the fishermen.

The fishermen demanded that the provincial government end the encroachment immediately.

The meeting decided that a protest campaign would be launched after Ashura if the illegal encroachment was not stopped. The PFF has also requested political parties, civil society organisations, and media personnel to support their cause.

It is pertinent to mention that there are over 1,200 small and major lakes in the Sindh province, and thousands of fishermen depend on them. With the occupation of these lakes, hundreds of thousands of people will be economically, socially, and culturally disconnected.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2024