New fisheries authority board formed
The government has finally reconstituted the board of directors of Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KOFHA), Karachi after a hiatus of almost one year.
The previous board was nominated on August 10, 2020 for three years under Section 6(2) of the relevant ordinance and its term expired on August 9, 2023.
The cabinet, in a recent meeting, was informed that the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority was established in 1982 under Section 4 of the KOFHA Ordinance 1982. The organisation operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
Section 6(1) of the ordinance states that the board of the authority shall consist of no fewer than seven members and no more than 11 members, comprising the chairman, managing director of the authority, a representative of the government of Sindh, director Marine Fisheries Department, director Fisheries Department, government of Sindh, a nominee of the Fish Processing Association, a nominee of the local fishermen's association and such other members as the federal government may appoint.
According to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, out of the 11 members, three are ex-officio members (two from the federal government and one from the government of Sindh), and one member each from the Pakistan Fish Exporters Association, the local fishermen's association and the government of Sindh.
Section 6(2), read with Section 6(1) of the KOFHA Ordinance 1982, empowers the federal government to appoint the chairman and other members not exceeding five in number.
The nominations from the Pakistan Fish Exporters Association, the local fishermen's association and the government of Sindh included Asim Abrar, Syed Mehran Ali Shah and the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority managing director.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs stated that a summary had been submitted to the cabinet for the reconstitution of the board of directors of KOFHA on May 14, 2024. The Prime Minister's Office, in terms of Rule 17(3) of the Rules of Business 1973, constituted a ministerial committee to assess and facilitate the reconstitution process.
The committee was chaired by the minister for maritime affairs and comprised the minister for industries and production and the minister for commerce and trade as members.
The committee, after comprehensive discussions, approved the criteria for the KOFHA board of directors. It recommended that five members should be nominated by the federal government, two by fish processors and exporters, one fisherman from the coastal area, one member with background in finance/law/project management and the fisheries development commissioner.
According to the criteria, the selected members must have at least 10 years of experience in the fishery sector, sufficient experience in fisheries management, no convictions and civil liabilities.
The credentials of the top five fish exporters and processors, along with nine other exporters and processors, seven fishermen and three professionals in finance, law and project management were presented to the ministerial committee for appointment as directors on the KOFHA board.
The committee considered the credentials and after deliberations recommended the candidates to the federal government for appointment as board directors for three years.
They included Raza Alam, fish processor/exporter, Zulfiqar Lassi, fish processor/exporter, Jane Alam Jamot, fisherman, Muhammad Faheem, finance/law/project management professional and the fisheries development commissioner, Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
As per the Cabinet Division's instructions, it is mandatory to submit cases for appointment of the board of directors of public sector organisations for approval by the prime minister.
Accordingly, the recommendations of the ministerial committee were submitted to the PM. The Prime Minister's Office reviewed backgrounds of the recommended candidates and cleared the following for the cabinet's consideration.
They were Asim Abrar, member/chairman, Raza Alam, member/federal government nominee, Zulfiqar Lassi, member/federal government nominee, fisheries development commissioner, member/federal government nominee, Karachi Fish Harbour Authority MD, member/government of Sindh nominee, Syed Mehran Ali Shah, member/local fishermen's association nominee, Marine Fisheries Department director, member, Fisheries Department director, government of Sindh member and the managing director of the authority, member.
While reviewing the panel, the cabinet emphasised that all ministries and divisions must ensure equal representation from all provinces on all boards.
The approval of the federal cabinet was solicited for the nominations, as proposed in the summary. The cabinet considered the summary titled "Reconstitution of the Board of Directors of Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority, Karachi," and approved the proposal.