Sixth day of Long March

Raisani joins PFF long march

Monday, March 08, 2010
By our correspondent

Karachi

The Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP), Balochistan, President, Senator Nawab Lashkari Raisani, joined the long march of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) on Sunday morning near Thatta town to express solidarity with the fishermen. When he joined the PFF rally, fisherwomen carrying eighty earthen jars in protest broke them before the senator and shouted slogans, demanding of the government to save their lives and livelihood, and rehabilitate river and fresh water lakes.

The Senator assured the fisherfolk of full support of the PPP government, saying that he would mediate to convene a meeting of the chief ministers representing all the four provinces to resolve the issue and ensure equal distribution of water.

He claims to have visited tail-end areas of Sindh, seen depleting forests and the deplorable plight of the communities and had submitted a report to the concerned government authorities to resolve the matter. He said he knew the problems the fishing communities were facing in coastal and inland waters. He said River Indus had a long history of irrigating fertile land, feeding fresh water lakes, and supplying water to the communities through tributaries and canals network. But now, he said, due to flawed policies designed by former successive governments and unequal distribution of water, the tail-end communities of the Sindh province were main sufferers.

The PFF Chairman, Muhammed Ali Shah, also spoke on the occasion and said they would continue their struggle to see the rehabilitation of the River Indus which was backbone of the Sindh economy. Hundreds of families, fishermen, farmers and livestock holders depended on the river water, which now has dried up completely.

Lakes have turned into dried water ponds. Forests have lost their natural beauty and the attraction for wildlife species, Shah added.

The long march started on March 2, 2010, from Kharo Chhan and will terminate at Al-Manzar, Jamshoro, on March 14, 2010 to celebrate the International Rivers day. Hundreds of community people, including women, are heading to the destination with the march.

According to PFF spokesman, MNA Ayaz Shah will receive the long march near Sujawal and host the participants on Sunday night. The PFF spokesman said they had the backing of all the political parties, including nationalists and civil society groups. There will be a public meeting on March 14 at Jamshoro, in which the PFF claims thousands of people from different marine and fresh water bodies will join in
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=227818