KARACHI, March 21: The Fishermen Action Committee, comprising trawler-owners and fishermen, on Thursday decided to limit their activity within the Sindh coast and not to operate in Balochistan.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the action committee which was largely attended by the fishermen and trawler owners.

It claimed that the three-week long protest proved a success successfully as it compelled the officials of the Balochistan government to sit on the negotiating table.

It also frustrated the designs of those who wanted to create a rift in the fishermen community.

As the committee put off its protest, it hoped that the governments of Sindh and Bolochistan would implement the decisions of the March 19 meeting.

The meeting was called to discuss the recommendations made during the meeting of the Sindh and Balochistan officials.

The secretary-general of the committee, Babu Faizuddin, briefed the meeting about the decisions taken at the official moot and the discussions they had with the chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society.

After a heated debate, the committee members reached a consensus that a time-limit be given for the implementation of some of the vital decisions.

The action committee decided to suspend their operations along the Makran coast till the Balochistan government agrees to reduce the existing monthly licence fee from Rs30,000 to Rs10,000.

A member of the committee, Habibullah Khan Niazi, asked the members to take an oath that they would not seek licences from the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority (BCDA) till their demands are met and the decisions taken at the official moot are implemented.

The committee also decided to resume their fishing activity within the Sindh coast immediately to save the industry from a collapse.

The committee hailed the Sindh Government’s decision for lifting a ban on landing of fish-catch from Balochistan at Karachi Fish Harbour, saying they had no enmity with the fishermen community of Balochistan as they had been struggling against the “mafia” exploiting the fishermen community of both the provinces.

The committee also demanded the arrest some of the officials of the Balochistan government against whom cases were pending.

It also praised the Sindh government and representatives of the FCS for pleading the case of Karachi-based fishermen and stressed the need for finding a permanent solution to the three- decade old problem.

The committee also decided to meet again after the expiry of three-weeks to review the progress of implementation process and to decide their future course of action.

Talking to Dawn, an official of the FCS confirmed that with the end of protest campaign by the action committee on Wednesday, brisk activity resumed at the harbour.