Fishermen community, residing in Gizri since pre-partition era and fishing in the Arabian Sea adjacent to Defence Housing Authority (DHA) is facing forced displacement by the Authority.
"This is injustice with the age-old fishermen community of Gizri by the DHA. The authority has put ban on their fishing at the coast, scuttled their boats, forfeited their bicycles, cut off all water connections and disallowed them to bury their dead in the Authority's graveyard," said Saeed Baloch, General Secretary of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in a press conference held at Karachi Press Club on Thursday.
The community has been living in DHA area before Pakistan came into being, he said adding that thousands of fishermen were living in the area, who later moved to other areas of the city following the dictatorial attitude of the authority. Now only 2,000 people of the community with 200 houses survive to suffer, he maintained.
According to the Authority, Baloch said residents of the area complained that fish smell had made the environment polluted, which was no longer tolerable to them and urged the Authority to ban fishing in the area. The community is also faced with lack of civic amenities including education, potable water, and health, he said adding that such injustices are compelling fishermen to migrate to other parts of the city.
He said that these fishermen have documents issued to them by the Bombay government during pre-partition era and were never forbidden from fishing and living there. Baloch announced to hold a demonstration in front of Karachi Press Club (KPC) against DHA on April 22, if government failed to resolve the issue on permanent basis and forthwith.
He said that on April 19, newsmen will also be taken to the respective area of fishermen. He demanded of the government to establish jetty for fishermen at the coast falling under DHA jurisdiction so that they could earn livelihood and live there with respect.
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