KARACHI, Oct 25: Speakers at a consultative meeting on the proposed national fisheries policy have urged provincial governments to frame their own policies keeping in view the socio-economic conditions of their respective provinces.

Major policies regarding fisheries had always been “imposed by the federal government without consulting the representatives of indigenous fishermen communities,” they regretted, saying that the fisheries was a provincial subject according to the Constitution.

They were critical of the role of federal authorities in resolving the issues of fishermen. Instead of addressing the real issues, the policies made by the federal authorities had only added to the miseries of the fishermen.

The Islamabad authorities were unaware of the ground realities, they observed.

According to them, fisheries in Pakistan were not only one of the key economic sectors earning billions of dollars of foreign exchange for the country, but a large number of rural as well as urban communities are also dependent on this sector for their livelihoods.

However, they observed, the sector was constantly on the decline due to the federally-imposed policies. Painting a grim picture of the fisheries sector, they said the fish catch was depleting with each passing day, particularly the stocks of important commercial fish species were on the decline.

Besides, they said, inadequate enforcement and lack of community participation by the administration in the fisheries sector were major factors for the present deteriorating conditions.

The consultative meeting, organized by Shirkat Gah Karachi, was held at the Hawksbay office of the World Wildlife Fund for Conservation of Nature on Friday.

Chaired by Zubaida Birwani, the programme producer of the NGO, the meeting was attended by the representatives of fishermen communities from the coastal areas of Sindh. Noted Sindhi writer G.N. Mughal and Zulfiqar Halepoto also took part in the consultative meeting.

The speakers were of the view that defective policies of the provincial government largely added to their augmented vulnerabilities. Besides the fact that there had been sheer neglect on the part of government regarding their basic rights like education, health and safe drinking water, the unending imposition of a contract system was an example of colossal injustice and cruelty, they observed.

Demanding an immediate halt to interference in the affairs of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, they said elections of the fishermen representatives must be coducted as early as possible and the real representatives be allowed to take charge of the society.

Rafiq Sulaiman and Haji Farooq Lawani of the Pakistan Mahigir Tehrik said the socio-economic plight of fishermen was an open secret. It was pointed out that fishermen’s extremely poor economic condition had put every sphere of their life on a difficult and miserable path.

They criticised the federal government for not consulting representatives of fishermen while framing the new fisheries policy.

Mohammad Arif Malah said that fisheries policy could not be effective unless fishermen were taken on board while framing it.

He laid emphasis on prior consultation with all stakeholders while framing and implementing a fisheries policy.

Women representatives of the Pakistan Mahigir Tehrik, Freeda and Yasmeen said that pollution along the Sindh coast was severely affecting the livelihood of fishermen and coastal ecology. According to them, the sea is being polluted by the discharge of untreated poisonous water, industrial and municipal wastes, sewage, and agriculture effluents.

They pointed out that exploitative traditional fisheries marketing as well as informal credit system operated by the middlemen had rendered fishermen hand to mouth.

Noted Sindhi writer G.N. Mughal argued that the fisheries sector was a provincial subject according to the country’s constitution and therefore the federation had no right to impose its own national policy. Instead, Mr Mughal suggested, each provincial government should frame its own policy.

He was of the view that the constitution guaranteed the security of the lives and livelihood of all the citizens of Pakistan without any discrimination.

The constitution is clear on the basic rights of the communities, including the right to life, livelihood as well as personal and social growth.

A number of policies and laws have been formulated by the policy-makers in different sectors but the fishermen communities had always been ignored.

Mr Zulfiqar Halepoto, senior adviser of the Civil Society Interface and Advocacy, called for more interaction among the community and suggested that consultative meetings on this vital issue be made a regular feature by involving more and more stakeholders.

At the outset, Ms Birwani explained the objectives of the meeting. She said there was an urgent need for a paradigm shift to improve regulation and management in the fisheries.

Fishermen from Rehri, Ibrahim Haideri, Khadda and other areas also attended the consultative meeting.