KARACHI, May 25: The Fishermen Cooperative Society has reacted angrily to the allegation levelled by the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority that it had backed the women rally that had been staged at the harbour on Wednesday.

Describing the charge as ‘baseless’, member of the FCS managing committee Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamot said on Thursday that the Society had nothing to do with the rally, which had actually been organised by an NGO to press the government on the small fishermen’s demand for the construction of a separate jetty for them.

He maintained that it was not the first event organised by the NGO on the issue. Earlier, the same NGO had held a protest meeting in this regard at the Karachi Press Club.

Mr Jamot, who is also a senior director of the Society, pointed out that the NGO had also brought the issue to the notice of the FCS. “Since the matter relates to the KFHA, we had advised the NGO to refer to the Authority, which could either meet the demand by executing the project by itself or authorise the FCS to do so,” he explained.

Regarding the rent dispute between the FCS and KFHA, Mr Jamot the matter was also pending a verdict before the court and unless a lease agreement between the legal authorities of the two organisations was signed, the question of any claim of outstanding dues against the FCS could not be raised.

In this context, he argued that the lease agreement signed by Mr Abuzar Mariwara in his capacity as acting-chairman of the FCS had no legal sanction as his appointment had been cancelled as ‘illegal’ by the registrar of cooperative societies.

Mr Jamot made it clear that the FCS and KFHA were separate organisations operating at the harbour and each of them had an independent role. He criticised the KFHA for “trying to hide its own shortcomings and failure by targeting the FCS.”

He said it was the responsibility of the KFHA to maintain hygienic conditions at the harbour as required by the European Union, but this responsibility was being fulfilled by the FCS in the greater national interest.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Pakistan Mahigir Tehrik, led by its convener Zubaida Birwani, called on KFHA Managing Director Nawaz Baloch and made it clear to him that the Wednesday rally had nothing to do with the FCS.

She said the rally had been organised by the PMT to register its protest against the indifferent attitude of the officials of KFHA toward the small fishermen’s demand for a jetty.

A KFHA spokesman said that the matter had been amicably settled and it was decided that the PC-1 of the jetty project would be prepared and the funding involved would be made by the KFHA.