By Moin Ullah Shah
KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided that fishermen without NADRA-issued identification will not be registered, issued licences or allowed to register fishing launches.
The decision was taken at an important meeting chaired by the provincial minister for livestock and fisheries, Muhammad Ali Malkani, in Karachi on 18 December. Senior officials from security agencies, Pakistan Customs, and federal and provincial fisheries departments attended the meeting.
It was decided that the Sindh government would register fishermen and fishing launches only after verification of identity issued by NADRA. Officials said the measure would help prevent smuggling and other criminal activities carried out under the guise of fishing along the coastal belt.
Speaking at the meeting, Malkani said the policy would also automatically address the issue of child labor. He said the government was determined to strictly enforce the ban on illegal fishing nets and that warnings would soon be issued through electronic, print and social media. He warned that after one month, any fisherman found using illegal nets could face fines as well as imprisonment.
Malkani said work was also under way on the meeting also decided to establish effective coordination among all agencies working along the coastal belt, including the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Rangers, Pakistan Coast Guard, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, Sindh Police, and federal and provincial fisheries departments. All institutions will operate under a one-window system with checks and balances.
Those attending the meeting included the secretary for livestock and fisheries, Kazim Hussain Jatoi; the chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Fatima Majeed; director general Marine Fisheries Pakistan, Dr Mansoor Wasan; director general Sindh Marine Fisheries, Dr Asim Hussain; SSP Keamari Syed Hassan Raza; Colonel Yasir Nazir of the Pakistan Coast Guard; Lieutenant Colonel Umair Ali of the Pakistan Rangers; Major Najam-ul-Hassan, GSO Headquarters Pakistan Army 5 Corps; Syed Muhammad Raza, assistant deputy collector Pakistan Customs, and other senior officials.
