The curse of involving Military/paramilitary forces in civil affairs for a long time…
Power Rangers
By Shazia Zaheer
“We have been fighting for our rights since we were children, but our problems are rising with each passing day. Nobody listens to us,” complained Mohammad
Khan, 40, a fisherman of Jatti, a small coastal town in district Badin. “We are protesting because our livelihood is under threat,” he added.
Khan was one of the dozens of local people who gathered to talk to a group of Karachi based journalists and human rights activists who visited the area to investigate the complaints of highhandedness of a law enforcement agency against local fishermen.
The trip was arranged by the Pakistan Fisher-folk Forum (PFF), a civil society organization of the community. Fishermen hailing from many villages along the coast came to raise their voice against the accesses of paramilitary forces in their area.
** According to the fishermen the Rangers personnel forcibly snatch their catch. “If we raise any objection and refuse to give them our catch they beat us up often severely” revealed Ahmed a fisherman. “Once I refused to give them my catch and they thrashed me badly,” he shared his personal experience. **
Fishermen explain that such a practice has become a routine now in the coastal areas of Sindh and the poor fishermen are forced to give in to the unfair demands of sharing the catch with Rangers who have nothing to do with fishing business.
** Ahmed had even reported the matter to the local in-charge of the Rangers but was rudely ignored. “Rangers have no justification for occupying water in any way because Rangers are bound to protect our ground area not naval borders”, pointed out a fisherman Abdul Rehman demanding a complete withdrawal of Rangers from the Badin and Jati waters. **
The visiting journalists and human rights activists were informed that rangers had further allotted the fishing contracts to local contractors who along personal guards and under the support of paramilitary force do not hesitate to snatch the catch from fishermen. “Sometimes ago one of the contractors even torched the boats of those who refused to give him his catch,” claimed a fisherman “They destroyed our boats and nets to create panic and among the local fishermen,” he added. The local fishermen said they lodged an FIR at Jatti police station but no action had been taken so far.
According to PFF and local fishermen who gathered to brief the visiting journalist Rangers were allowed fishing in a few lakes for the augmentation of personnel in early 80s in the regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. But later paramilitary force had encroached upon all the fishing resources of Badin District particularly Taluka Jatti and openly auctioned the fish contracts which is a commercial business.
Local fishermen as well as PFF office bearers describe Rangers’ earnings from fish auction to be somewhere in between Rs. 500 million to Rs. 800 millions annually.
Under the system, in an area where Rangers have auctioned the contract to a private contractor, all the fisherman doing fishing in that particular area are bound to sell the catch to that particular contractor on very nominal rates.
“The contractor gives us just Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 per Chhabi, (a 10 kg bag),” complained a fishermen with tears in eyes. “Believe me, we are not allowed to take fish even for personal use.”
According to sources, following a protest movement launched by fishermen of Jatti including hunger strike in front of Karachi Press Club in 1994, Rangers officials in a meeting chaired by the then Provincial Chief Minister Abdullah Shah, promised to vacate fishing fields from March 31, 1995 - a promise which was never fulfilled.
“As PPP government was removed after sometime, Rangers never fulfilled their promise and they continue to occupy the fishing areas without any legal or moral jurisdiction,” says a Mohammed Ali Shah chairman of PFF. “I even wrote a letter to DG rangers and governor to remind them of their promise but they did not pay any heed,” he informs.
Back in Karachi a spokesman for the paramilitary force rejects the allegations of fishermen of Badin and office bearers of PFF and denies Rangers’ involvement in any illegal activity. “We, as a responsible law enforcement agency, cannot even think of indulging in any unlawful act,” claims, Capt. Imran, PRO with Rangers. “There could be any misunderstanding but I assure you that Rangers work under a certain discipline.” He insists that though he is unaware of any fishing business by the Rangers he is confident that whatever Rangers is doing is authorized by law.
Besides, the Rangers’ accesses, the coastal fishermen communities of Thatta and Badin are facing many problems and reduction in the fresh water along with enormous pressure on the fast depleting fish resources has only added to their miseries.
Following decrease in fresh water flow in the wake of barrages and dams built in upcountry side, cultivation was reduced and those who lost their agricultural land to upward approaching sea also resorted to fishing putting more pressure on natural resource.
“The first major diversion of population towards fishing sector was recorded with the decrease in the freshwater flow in the Indus delta after the commissioning of various barrages, reservoirs and dam on Indus River,” Saeed Baloch, General Secretary of PFF points out. “Before the construction of the dams and barrages, the delta region was green, cultivable and also prosperous.”
According to an official report, as claimed by PFF office bearers, the drastic decline in fresh water flow in Indus Delta has resulted in sea intrusion, which has turned 1.2 million acres of farmland into saline land in Thatta and Badin districts. Besides, this seawater has mixed into the sweet water channels by up to 30 km towards Kotri resulting in environmental degradation.
The estimated freshwater flow down the Indus was about 150 million acre feet (MAF) per year in the past. Indus had also been carrying with it some 400 million tons of silt. However, over the past 60 years with the construction of dams, barrages and reservoirs, the freshwater flow has reduced to 10 to 35.2 MAF.
Mangroves in the coastal areas of Thatta and Badin, are another causality of non availability of fresh water. Indus Delta mangroves, which were described as world’s sixth largest mangrove forests in the world just two decades ago, are declining. Indus Delta mangroves used to occupy 345,000 hectares along the entire Sindh Coast but recent estimates show that they are now only 160,000 to 205,000 hectare. These natural trees are not just wooden trees but nutritionally rich, providing an ideal habitat for a variety of marine animals in addition to commercial fish and shrimp.
According to local people, they use Mangrove forests for a variety of purposes including fuel wood, timber, and fodder. Local communities regularly gather mangrove leaves for cattle, buffalo, and donkey fodder and also for camels.
The visit was startling to expose the Karachi journalists with extreme state of poverty among the people of Badin who, according to the constitution, are equal citizens and are entitled equal opportunities. But their problems are numerous and they are just struggling for survival. It’s the responsibility of the state to solve their problems particularly the issue of Rangers’ highhandedness and also flow of freshwater.