Fishermen launch ‘Save Sea Islands Movement’ in Sindh

KARACHI:

The fishermen community has announced to form a committee to initiate the "Save Sea Islands Movement" and decided to hold a boat rally to Bhandar Island on October 15 to register a protest against the Pakistan Island Development Authority ordinance.

The decision was taken on Wednesday during a coordination committee meeting on Wednesday, which was formed to halt any construction on the Dingi and Bhandar islands.

The boat rally will be attended by political activists, social workers, lawyers, academics, students as well as fishermen.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum chairperson Mohammad Ali Shah, who will be leading the movement, maintained that the development of the twin islands was tantamount to destruction and would snatch the livelihood of at least 800,000 fishermen.

"Our struggle will continue till the federal government takes back its controversial ordinance," he insisted.

The participants of the meeting termed the newly-formed authority 'illegal' and rejected the presidential ordinance.

They further agreed to hold different events, including seminars, rallies and protests in the coming days.

"In the first phase, we will start an awareness campaign in Thatta and Sujawal districts from October 16," said Shah. "It will be followed by protest demonstrations outside the press clubs of the district headquarters." He further stated that they had also decided to hold a long march from the embankment of the twin islands to the Governor House.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2020.