It is common practice for the authorities on both side of the Indian and Pakistan coast to arrest fishermen who venture into the wrong waters. The seized boats of the arrested fishermen are auctioned by the authorities. PHOTO: FILE
These contractors buy these boats during auctions and complete all legal formalities. A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, called for these comments on Wednesday while hearing a petition of the contractors, who took the Maritime Security Agency, the Pakistan Coast Guards, the Livestock and Fisheries department, the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority and others to court last year. They had complained that they were being denied permits.
The petitioner informed that they had participated in the official auction of the Indian boats that were seized by the Maritime Security Agency for illegally entering the country's economic zone. The auctioning body, under the aegis of the Pakistan Customs, conducts an auction of the seized boats upon payment of the sales and income taxes to the relevant departments on these boats.
The petitioners said they participated in the auction and bought the boats. Later, they requested the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority to issue fishing permits as required under the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority Ordinance 1984, but the same are not being issued due to which they are not authorised to take their boats to the sea, said lawyer Mirza Sarfaraz Ahmed.
He submitted that his clients had invested their lifelong earnings in purchasing the boats. Therefore, denying permits by the authorities is a violation of the Article 4 of the Constitution. The court was pleaded to direct these departments and agencies to issue fishing permits and registration certificates in respect of the auctioned Indian boats in the name of the petitioners. It was further requested the court instruct the authorities to abstain from interfering into the issuance of the required registration and fishing permit documents.
On Wednesday, the bench directed the respondent Karachi Fish Harbour Authority to file comments by March 18 and explain why fishing permits are not being issued.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2014.
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@Uzair:
Did you read the article? It is about issuing operation permits (by Karachi Fish Harbour Authority) to seized Indian boats that Pakistani fishermen have purchased, through an auction.
Only seized Indian boats are involved, no one is issuing permits to foreign fishermen.
Have some mercy on our marine resources "My Lord". Already there's too much poaching in our marine borders from fishing trawlers from many a countries. And by the way do Indians issue permits to Pakistani fishermen in Indian waters My Lord?