MULTAN: The participants of Sath (people’s assembly) at the Taunsa Barrage, on Sunday, denounced the flagrant violation of the court orders by the leaseholders, who were forcing the fisherfolk to fish despite the stay order issued by the court and threatening the people with economic consequences. Over 300 adivasi (traditional fishers) from all over the Punjab attended the assembly organized by the Sindhu Bachao Tarla (struggle to save the Indus). The assembly was also attended by the members of Siraiki Lok Sanjh and the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, local political workers and concerned members of the civil society. The Sath was organized to review the progress on a petition filed by the fisherfolk in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking an end to the contract fishing system prevalent in Punjab. The LHC granted a stay order against the auctioning of the leasehold rights on public waters across Punjab on August 8. One of the petitioners, Bashiran Mai, denounced how the leaseholders were forcing fishers to catch fish despite the stay order. “We are threatened with physical and economic consequences if we do not obey,” she said. The fisherfolk across Punjab also described similar breaches of the stay order, often with the collusion of local Fisheries Department officials. They claimed that pressure was being applied to force the petitioners to withdraw the case. Khadim Hussain, the founding member of Sindhu Bachao Tarla, described how the leaseholders were working with local state officials in ensuring that whilst the gates remained closed at the Taunsa Barrage, they were given ample time and advance warning to build illegal weirs on ponds to prevent the downstream fish-flowing once the gates gets opened. He requested the local Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Ashraf Khan Rind to take notice of the issue. Chairman Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Mohammad Ali Shah, extended his support to all the struggling fisherfolk of Punjab and strongly denounced the practice of entrapping fishers in bondage through the practice of peshgi (advance). He described this practice as both illegal under the Bonded Labour Act (1992) and also a morally reprehensible practice. He referred to the fisherfolk as true guardians of the river whose lives were inseparable from the flow of the river. He said that this community (fisherfolk) had been associated with the river since ages and it had a deep spiritual relationship with the river that was not based on economic extraction. He regretted that the exploitative contract system, along with river engineering practices, were destroying the rivers and the lives of humans, birds, fish and animals that are attached to these sacred waters. The Sath concluded with the jatra (pilgrimage) of the River Indus. Published in Daily Times, October 2nd, 2018.