Fisherfolk bear the brunt of Pak-India aggression

For over four decades, both Pakistan and India have been causing severe hardships to fisherfolk on the pretext of cross-border violations in the open sea while grossly violating human rights and international laws in doing so, said representatives of civil society organisations while talking to the media at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday. Members of the civil society organisations, including Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Iqbal Haider, Muhammad Ali Shah and Zulfiqar Shah, said captured fisherfolk are often let off only after several years of unjustified detention, while their confiscated boats are returned only erratically, depriving them of their livelihoods.
They said the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has lately accelerated seizure of boats and imprisonment of the fisherfolk not just from territorial waters, but from much distant waters of the exclusive economic zone as well.
These actions are in utter disregard of the agreement that was made between the Indian Coast Guard and the MSA to treat crew members humanely and ensure their prompt return, they added.
They also urged both the countries to exercise restrain in vessel seizure and ensure speedy return of all fisherfolk rapidly with dignity to their homes.
“If Pakistan is to act rapidly, India must promptly accept the detained fisherfolk as citizens on its part,” they added.
They said verification should begin with the fisherfolk families, while their organisations must replace the current ineffective bureaucratic top-down process that merely accentuates misery.
While highlighting the recent bilateral trade liberalisations and peace process between the two countries in the past few months, one of the members termed the ongoing onslaught of seizure of boats and jailing of poor crew members as very displeasing.
“Talks have already begun to return apprehended fisherfolk to their respective countries, while an agreement is also making progress on the issue of Sir Creek boundaries. Facilitation for equipping boats with satellite navigation is also on the cards,” he added.
The civil society hoped that India would continue to exercise restraint and give up its practice of imprisoning Pakistan fisherfolk in response as a cold war, while reiterating that international law requires crew members to be repatriated immediately even while the vessel owner and the government are involved in negotiating penalties and the value of the catch seized.
While terming the news of granting Most Favoured Nation trade status to India, which is yet to be given, as a good omen, they said it would ease issuance of family travel visas between the countries, just like trade workers who receive protection in their search for work once facilitated through the free trade agreement. They also stressed the need for all the countries of South Asia to remove constraints for migration across borders by workers in search of better livelihoods.
“The process of work permits needs to be rapidly initiated and implemented to benefit ordinary citizens. Since long, imprisonment is being risked by fisherfolk so they should also be given work permits on priority basis.”
While elaborating the work permit issue, they said two kinds of cross-border permits are needed: one for vessels and the other for crew members. All fisherfolk should be eligible for a permit, and permits for fisherfolk vessels and crew members should be issued in as simple a process as possible; for example, by the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority.
“We believe that fishing permits must include commitments to ecological conservation through protection of fish stocks. This requires a limited number of permits of limited duration and maximum catch, in addition to bans on destructive practices, which include seasonal bans,” they added.
They told the media that industrial fishing vessels, commonly known as deep sea trawlers, are the biggest threat to fish stocks across the oceans, adding that such fishing must be severely curtailed in every way possible, including prohibition of entering areas where the fisherfolk are generally present. “We believe that around 50 nautical miles should be the red zone for industrial fishing, regardless of national origin of vessel,” they added.
While seeking the urgent attention and action by public representatives across the country, they requested the president and the prime minister to convene a meeting with fisherfolk representatives and the Joint Judicial Committee on Prisoners, so that the forthcoming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit could proudly announce an agreement on protection of South Asian rights to livelihood.