The Pakistani Coast Guards in Pasni issued a statement calling for the fishermen to undock and withdraw their boats from their current stop near the sea. The coast guards threatened that if they refused to comply, their boats will be seized.
According to reports, the fishermen went to the Assistant Commissioner’s Muhamamd Arif Zarkoon’s office to protest against the decision. They said that the area does not belong to the Pakistani coast guards, and they should stop “harassing” the fishermen for docking their vessels in there.
The fishermen said that after the closure of the fish harbour, they had no other option but to flock to an area called “Katao” in the northern side of Pasni as a temporary docking site. They said that the camp of the Pakistan Marine Security Agency is located nearby, and they have not yet ordered them to empty the area. But the Pakistan Coast Guards have threatened to seize their vessels if they did not empty the area.
The fishermen complained that the coast guards are also stopping them from fishing without any plausible justification. The locals complain that some “elements” are deliberately implementing such “gangster tactics” to ignite a conflict between the coast guards and the fishermen.
The fishermen appealed to the higher authorities to take notice of the issue.