Fisheries Minister holds meeting with fishermen orgs

KARACHI, Jul 10 (APP):Sindh Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Muhammad Ali Malkani, has said that the Fisheries Department of the Sindh Government aims to provide all essential facilities directly to the doorsteps of Sindh’s fishermen to help elevate their economic status.

     He said that the government will also direct the Fishermen Cooperative Society to extend all the facilities currently provided to marine (sea) fishermen to inland fishermen across Sindh as well.

    The Provincial Minister expressed these views during a high-level meeting with delegations from various fishermen’s organizations representing Sujawal, Thatta, Badin, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Kashmore, Kandhkot, and other districts.

     The meeting was scheduled upon the request of the fishermen to hear their grievances.

    The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum was a key participant in this meeting. The meeting was also attended by the Provincial Secretary for Livestock and Fisheries, Dr. Kazam Hussain Jatoi, the newly elected Chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Fatima Majeed, and Director of Marine Fisheries Sindh, Dr. Asim Karim.

      Moreover, Fisher Folk Chairman Ghulam Mustafa Mirani, General Secretary Saeed Baloch, and Majeed Malkani were also present.

Muhammad Ali Malkani informed the fishermen that under the “Aquaculture” project launched in collaboration with the World Bank, the government will introduce projects worth millions of rupees to support the fishermen in fish trading and hunting, enabling them to stand on their own feet.

    The Provincial Minister emphasized that the government supports the one-and-a-half-month ban on fishing because it is the fish breeding season. Therefore, this ban will remain effective from June 15 to August 1. He further announced that fishermen’s identity cards will now be linked with NADRA so that their fisherman identity can be verified through their computerized national identity cards (CNICs). Consequently, fishing licenses, boat registrations, aid funds, and World Bank projects will only be accessible to fishermen who possess these integrated ID cards.

Earlier, leaders of the fishermen’s organizations apprised Provincial Minister Muhammad Ali Malkani of the issues faced by them and their respective regions.

     Malkani said that if a legislative amendment is required to resolve these issues, it will be enacted. The Provincial Minister also mentioned that he would coordinate with other provincial departments, such as the Forest, Irrigation, and Environment departments, to alleviate the hardships faced by the fishing community.

He added that a formal letter would be written to the Chief Minister of Sindh stating that since the contracting (Thekedari) system has been abolished through a legislative bill, no contracts should be issued anywhere. Fishing rights should be strictly reserved for licensed fishermen only.