GWADAR: Hundreds of fishermen, political workers and members of civil society staged a protest rally against the federal government for granting Chinese trawlers fishing rights in Gwadar by issuing them licences.

The National Party and Baloch Student Organisation had called for the protest rally and sit-in in front of the Gwadar Press Club against the government’s move.

The participants of the rally marched on the roads of the coastal town and later staged the sit-in.

Haji Fida Hussain Dashti, Faiz Nagori, Manzoor Qadir Bakhsh, Abid Rahim Sorabi, Muhammad Noor and leader of Gwadar’s fishermen Khuda-i-Dad Waju spoke on the occasion.

Mr Waju said that fishermen of Gwadar were already facing violation of fishing limits by Sindh’s fishing trawlers and now the federal government had allowed foreign trawlers to deprive the fishermen of Gwadar of their livelihood.

Speakers said the fishermen of Gwadar had vacated their fishing spots for the construction of the Gwadar port hoping that their economic conditions would improve once the port was ready, but now the federal government had issued licences to Chinese trawlers which was badly affecting their livelihood.

They urged the people to unite over the issue that was vital to the Gwadar people. They alleged that the provincial fisheries minister and the federal government officials, instead of supporting the stance of the local fishermen, were giving statements in favour of the Chinese fishermen.

They demanded of the government to cancel fishing licences of Chinese trawlers to protect the livelihood of the local people.

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 16th, 2021