Hundreds of fisherfolk from various parts of the province took to the streets in small towns and villages on Saturday to protest the brutalities of the “sea lords”, who allegedly killed two leaders of the fisherfolk community and kidnapped and tortured others for raising their voice against the destruction of mangroves forests.
According to a Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) press release, major rallies were staged in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur.
Hailing from different marine and inland waters from entire province, fisherfolk gathered in major cities on the call of the PFF and expressed solidarity with the coastal residents of Karachi.
In Karachi, participants of the PFF rally started walking from the Sindh Assembly building and culminated outside the Karachi Press Club where the community leaders Mohammed Ali Shah, Saeed Baloch, Majeed Motani and others spoke to the participants. They warned the government to treat the law-abiding fisherfolk of the country properly like other citizens and curb the activities of the land mafia, which is kidnapping and killing people raising their voice against the destruction of mangroves forests.
They said that if the government did not pay heed to their demands, they will block the National and Super Highways after Eidul Fitr.
They claimed that land mafia heads, Haji Younus and his son Zulfiqar Younus, are cleaning away mangrove forests in Keamari and selling out the land for commercial purposes. When the PFF opposed their illegal and destructive activities, they retaliated and killed its activists Abdul Ghani and Haji Abu Bakar. They also kidnapped an activist Latif Dorai and released after brutally torturing him.
