Fishermen have called off a protest following successful negotiations with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs on Wednesday which paved the way for the shipping activity on Karachi Port to resume.
Earlier, owing to the failure of talks with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the fishing community had anchored more than 2,000 boats to block the shipping channel of the port, halting the movement of the cargo ships.
Following successful negotiations with the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Maritime Affairs Mahmood Moulvi, fishermen removed the boats from the port and made it operational for the movement of cargo.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Fisheries Export Association Chairman Muslim Muhammadi termed blockade of channels unfavourable for both parties and appreciated their decision to resolve the issue by holdings one-on-one discussions.
“The protest was held against alleged restriction on the fisherman of Sindh to enter Balochistan waters,” Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) President Ismail Suttar said. “The fishing community was frustrated due to persistent restrictions on its livelihoods in addition to a compulsory ban on activities during the breeding season.”
He lamented that the people of Pakistan were constrained economically, which had adversely impacted their standard of living.
The locals have been patient time and again with the concerned government authorities but so far, the public had been forced to come out on the streets to fulfill its demands.
“The loss borne account of the protest cannot be calculated but it should be understood that it dealt a severe blow to the economy,” he said.
The blockage of the port negatively impacted the trade activities, inflating the negative balance of trade.
Due to the apparent barrier to entry, ships were not allowed to enter or leave the harbour, he detailed.
He urged upon the government to understand that the public was facing several challenges and its interests should be protected given that it was the driver of the economy.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Muhammad Idris said that about 10 ships, scheduled to be docked at Karachi Port, were parked outside the port limits in the morning.
If the situation had persisted till Wednesday evening, it was quite possible that many ships would have returned without anchoring at the port, he said.
Arif Habib Limited Head of Research Tahir Abbas said that obstruction at Karachi port due to that protest might cause a delay in delivery of import and export containers.
The government negotiated with the protesters and handled the issue peacefully, he revealed.
On the flip side, a source in the fisheries industry stated that fishermen were involved in illegal and unethical fishing in Balochistan waters which was causing a loss to the livelihood of Balochistan’s fishermen and the national exchequer.
He detailed that fishermen from Sindh used trawling nets which were conical in shape and required to be at least 35 mm long according to the International law.
“These nets enter Balochistan waters at night and catch big and small fish of the province,” he said. “The nets do not even let small eggs pass through due to which fish stocks are depleting rapidly in Balochistan.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2022.
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