Protest planned against Pakistan government move to develop two islands off Karachi coast

Karachi: A number of political and civil society organisations in Sindh have rejected the federal government’s move to develop two small islands off the coast of Karachi into modern cities. Pakistan Islands’ Development Authority (PIDA) has been established through a presidential ordinance for this purpose.

At a recently held consultative session, speakers announced the launch of a joint protest against the plan to develop the islands disregarding environmental laws and regulations. They said that any harm to marine life and mangroves would damage the livelihood prospects of hundreds of thousands of fishermen in Sindh.

Speaking on the occasion Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) said that the federal government had no authority to launch any development project in the maritime area up to 12 nautical miles as it is the domain of the provincial government. He said the issue would be raised in the National Assembly, Senate and Sindh Assembly by the Peoples’ Party.

Noted scholar IA Rehman said that consultation should be done with the people before making any decision regarding development of the islands. He said the provincial government should fulfil its obligations to stop such anti-people projects.

Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, president of the Sindh United Party, said that the provincial government as per the constitution owned the islands off the coast of Karachi. He said it was unfortunate that the fate of these islands was decided by the president of Pakistan, that too without consulting the Sindh chief minister.

Chairman of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), Mohammad Ali Shah, said that local fishermen would be denied access to these islands after their development.

Karamt Ali of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research said that meetings would be held with concerned lawmakers in the province so that the Sindh Assembly could pass a resolution against the setting up of the PIDA through a presidential ordinance. A coordination committee was established with chairman of PFF as its head to wage the protest drive against the development of the islands.

In a separate statement, Dr Nafisa Shah of PPP said that the federal government had gone ahead with the plan to establish the PIDA without discussing the issue in the Council of Common Interests and without consulting the Sindh government.

He said that any attempt of the federal government to occupy the island was against the constitution of Pakistan and such a move would be resisted.