KARACHI: Several people living in the coastal areas of Karachi on Sunday protested, drawing attention of the authorities towards joblessness of fishermen and hunger for the last seven days caused by the lockdown, said witnesses and representative of the fishermen community.

Around 200-300 people, including women and children, staged a sit-in at Benazir Bhutto Chowk in Ibrahim Hyderi.

Contingents of police and paramilitary force rushed to the spot and persuaded the residents to end the protest and assured them that their problems would be communicated to the authorities concerned for their resolution.

Mohammed Ali Shah, chairman of the Pakistan Fisher Folk, told Dawn that for seven days the people living in coastal areas, particularly fishermen, had been rendered jobless and they were suffering from shortage of essential items to feed their families, which compelled them to come out on roads.

He pointed out that there were estimated to be one million fishermen living in coastal areas of Karachi and adjoining areas who could not go to sea for fishing for last several days due to lockdown measures.

He said that fishing was only source of livelihood of the fishermen. He said that even a few fishermen who go to the sea for fishing could not earn such money to bear the cost of fuel as price of fish had been reduced significantly.

It has been stated that price of shrimps per kilogram has been reduced from Rs1,000 to Rs200.

Mr Shah said that the provincial government had announced to provide rations to the poor and the deserving people, but so far, it had not been implemented.

The PFF head said that they had submitted proposal to the authorities concerned for provision of Rs20,000 for each family of fisherman per month during the lockdown for sustaining their livelihood.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Hyderi SHO Raza Solangi appeared reluctant to provide information about the protest saying that he was performing his duty at some distance from the protest at the lockdown point in the area.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2020