KARACHI, Oct 3: Fishermen living in the coastal delta region have vowed that they would oppose the new city project on Bundar and Buddo islands, located close to Port Qasim, as it would deprive eight million fisherfolk of their age-old habitations and rights of fishing besides causing serious environmental destruction.

This was announced by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Chairman Mohammad Ali Shah while addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.

He declared that fishermen would launch a movement to resist the mega project. In this regard, he said, a consultative meeting with the community of the coastal belt would be held on Oct 6 at Ibrahim Hyderi. He said another consultative meeting with civil society organisations, social and human rights activists, journalists and citizens was planned for Oct 9.

The fishing community has also planned a huge public gathering after Eid to reiterate its historical claim defending economic and other rights.

It was a clear indication that after Balochistan where a large number of fishermen had been uprooted from Gwadar following the development of deep-sea port, people of Sindh were being threatened by the regime’s policy of mercantilism.

Mr Shah said that the federal government had recently entered into a contract with the UAE-based firm for the construction of a new city on the pattern of Dubai. It handed over 12,000 acres of land to the UAE firm for this purpose. He said the estimated cost of the project was 43 billion dollars.

Opposing this “devilish plan”, the PFF chairman was of the view that it would cast colossal negative impact on the lives of local fisherfolk and therefore the project was “totally inhuman and illegitimate in its essence”.

Mr Shah claimed that it would render the entire marine ecological system unsustainable and hundreds of fishing grounds would be annihilated. The unemployment ratio among the poor fisherfolk would increase, he said. Besides, the mangrove forests, which were already under threat, would suffer more with the development of a new city. He expressed apprehension that this would encourage new investors to occupy hundreds of islands in the 17 creeks along the coast of Sindh.

Mr Shah said that ironically the federal government had negotiated the contract on its own without informing the Sindh government, as stated by the chief minister. He said that when the new city would be developed the ravine channel passing through the two islands would be closed for fishermen.

He said that the PFF condemned the decision and appealed to media, human rights and development experts to immediately intervene into the matter and save the lives of the poor people of these islands.

Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamote also supported the PFF’s stand and expressed surprise over the manner in which the federal government had handled this matter without consulting the chief minister of Sindh.

Dr Aly Ercelan of PILER said that the government’s decision was violation of Land Acquisition Act.