The Sindh High Court has given more time to Livestock & Fisheries Department, Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority and other respondents to file comments on a petition seeking registration of seized Indian boats purchased by the fishermen.
The petitioners, Sarbuland Khan and others, moved the court against Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KFHA) for not issuing fishing permits for seized Indian boats.
The petitioners submitted that they had purchased the Indian fishing boats seized by the Maritime Security Agency in an auction and paid all dues including taxes. They said that principal officer of the Mercantile department had also issued certificate to petitioners for sailing out the boats but KFHA was not issuing fishing permits despite the fact that they have fulfilled all legal requirements.
They said that they had invested all their earnings in purchasing the boats and altering them to meet the local legal requirement but they were not allowed to use their boats for fishing. As a result, they were unable to earn a livelihood for their families.
They said they have been requesting the KFHA since 2012 to issue fishing permits for their boats as mandatory under KFHA Act 1984 but it had refused to entertain their pleas. They prayed to the court to direct the authorities to issue them fishing permits.
A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, adjourned the hearing of the case until April 4, 2015, after the provincial law officers requested for some time to file government’s response to the petition.