National Assembly body for uplifting indigenous fishermen

• The construction of Industrial units in the Pilot Zone is 90 percent completed.
• The fisherman must be imparted education of modern fishing techniques, enabling them to be a major contributor in the country’s economy.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs Thursday urged the federal government to take measures for uplifting indigenous fishermen present in Sindh and Balochistan.

The fisherman must be imparted education of modern fishing techniques, enabling them to be a major contributor in the country’s economy, said Amer Ali Khan Magsi while chairing the meeting of the Committee here.

On the rapid depletion of fish stock in Pakistan, Secretary Maritime Affairs Rizwan Ahmed informed the Committee that there was no mechanism in the provinces to monitor the fishing activities that causing decline in the stock.

The major cause of depletion is irregular fishing, he said, adding that in that regard the fishing policy is being reviewed and formulated and the same will be shared with the Committee.

All the management and regulation of local fishing boats was being done by the provincial fisheries department of Sindh and Balochistan and they were authorized to issue the fishing licenses within their jurisdiction, the Secretary apprised the panel.

He said regulation and imposition of proper fishing gears was required by the provinces as majority of the fleet of fishing boats was not sustainable. Giving progress on the Gwadar Port, the Chairman Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Naseer Khan Kashani told the Committee that the port is going to become the focal hub of Afghan Transit Trade and their first ship would be berthed soon at the port.

Various projects in Gwadar, he said was near to completion. The construction of Industrial units in the Pilot Zone is 90 percent completed, he told.

He said holding of second Expo in Gwadar was a huge success and WEBOC has been made operational at Gawadar Port.

The issue of Eastbay Expressway in Gwadar has also been resolved, he added. MNAs, Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, Saif Ur Rahman, Abdul Shakoor Shad, Nuzhat Pathan, Lal Chand, Usama Qadri, Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh, Muhammad Shahbaz Babar, Begum Tahira Bokhari, Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das, Jam Abdul Karim Bijar, Abdul Qadir Patel, Kamal Uddin, besides Secretary and Senior Officers from the Ministry attended the meeting.