Daily Times

KARACHI: Bengali fishermen of Karachi, restricted from going into the open sea some nine months ago, are not yet allowed to go for their routine catch as annoyed fishermen announced on Sunday to start a movement against the ban.

In Karachi, according to unofficial and independent estimation, around two million, Bengalis are living in city’s Orangi Town (district west), Ibrahim Hyderi and Bilal Colony (in Malir district), Ziaul Haq Colony and Moosa Colony (in district central), Machar Colony and Lyari’s Bengali Para (in district south).

They are officially considered as illegal immigrants, but some of them, somehow have managed to get Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) in the past, but last year Federal Ministry of Interior directed National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to conduct verification of all the CNICs in the country, after verification, these Bengalis of Karachi could not get their CNICs renewed.

“Majority of Bengalis living in Karachi, are fishermen, but after cancellation and verifications by NARDA, they are unable to get new CNIC, due to which they can’t go in open sea for their routine fishing”, said Alauddin Nakwa, President of Pak Mahigir Welfare Association, a Bengali fishermen’s representative body.

Organization’s general secretary Rashid Sardar said that it nine months have passed but there has been no step taken to remove ban on fishing. The Pak Mahigir Welfare Association has announced to start a movement against ban on fishermen.

They will meet leaders of different political parties to inform them the difficulties faced by them and to get their support and start collective movement against the ban.

The fishermen sought federal government’s intervention to get their identity cards issued following the due process. “We appealed to Federal Ministry of Interior for issuing directives to NADRA for identity cards of Bengali fishermen”, he demanded.

He said that Bengalis of Karachi were born in Pakistan so it is their right that government should issue them identity cards. “We appeal Prime Minister, Sindh Chief Minister and concerned government officials to resolve our matter. We should be allowed to fishing in open sea”, he said adding “our families are facing starvation as fishing is our only source of income”.

Published in Daily Times, September 18^th 2017.