Abdullah Khoso
D-4 Custom Officers’ Flat, Kiamari, Karachi
DoB: 01-02-1979, Email: abdullahkhoso@hotmail.com, Phone: 0092 3002964317
Experience
1- In the last March 2008, I started working with Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF: www.pff.org.pk) as a communication officer. Employer Contact Number 0092 21 5090543
Sachall Hall, Ibrahim Hyderi, Bin Qasim Twon, Karachi, Pakistan
As a communication officer I am responsible for publishing monthly English Fisherfolk Newsletter; preparing press releases on daily bases; updating the website; writing journalistic reports/articles in the leading newspapers, magazines on the fisherfolk issues and PFF’s struggle; preparation of annual reports and reports on the events including seminars, conferences, workshops, hunger strikes; preparing concept notes on different fisherfolk issues for financial help; conducting qualitative and quantitative research on different fisherfolk issues for supporting PFF’s advocacy campaigns; editing the write ups/reports prepared by the different programs officers at PFF; preparing fortnightly online News Bulletin and sharing it with partners, donors and civil society organizations within the country and abroad.
2- As a research associate I worked with Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karachi from Nov-2003 to Sep-2005.
I worked mainly for two projects: “Empowering the Vulnerable Workers in Pakistan” as they can play a role in making their society just; “Impact Analysis of Intervention for the Release and Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour in Pakistan”.
My main responsibilities were to collect qualitative and quantitative data, and then to compile, analyse and present it in the form of reports, and share these reports with workers, activists, and journalists at different forums (seminars, workshops). Out of these reports, I used to produce briefings and issued press releases.
I played a major role in bridging a gap between labour organizations and other civil society groups in Pakistan. Within the programmes, I ensured constructive communication and positive working environment. I represented human and labour rights issues at all levels in association with the donor organizations and civil society organizations. I worked as a team member of the management to deliver outstanding results.
3-Researcher (intern) from April-2003 to November 2003 with National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Islamabad, Pakistan. I was engaged in to collect qualitative and quantitative data from all Regions/Fields Units/Projects; carry out Situation Analysis; help in preparation of NRSP’s Monthly Programme Updates.
4- Interviewer with Population Association of Pakistan (PAP), Islamabad, Pakistan, from January-2003 to April-2003. I was responsible to conduct in-depth unstructured interviews, insert data into matrix sheets and after compiling it submit with the organization.
5- Research Anthropologist with the Department of Anthropology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad from November-2002 to January -2003. I was involved in the forming of male interview guideline, data collection in the field through in-depth unstructured interviews, analysis and report writing.
6- News Monitor’ and ‘Translator in English Language (Part Time) with SAHIL (An NGO working against Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistani Society), Islamabad, Pakistan. From November-2001 to June-2003. I was assigned to monitor and analyse the news appearing in the regional and national media relating to child sexual abuse in the Province of Sindh.
Volunteer Work
7- Volunteer (Customer Service Assistant) with Oxfam GB shop in Enfield town, UK, from
November 2007 to 20th March 2008.
My purpose was to assist the shop manager to achieve Division’s mission which is “to make as much as money as possible to overcome poverty and suffering” around the world.
Contact person: Sally Gordon +44 (0)2083677728
Education
Degree European Master of Arts in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies
Institute Roskilde University Centre (RUC) Denmark and Institute of Education (IOE)
University of London
Session September 2005 – June 2007
Majors Ideology, Identity and the Media; Film Theory and Documentary; Film theory
and Educational Practice; Communication Theories and Methods;
Globalization, Development and Communication.
Dissertation “How media represent socio-cultural risk: a discourse analysis of the media text
about a religious minority (Ahmadis) and majority (Sunni) in Pakistan”
Term papers *What is Postmodernism and Why is it Important in Cultural and Media Studies
*How Different Theories of Film Distribute Power Differently Between Text and
Spectator?
*Critical Evaluation of the Ideological Dimensions in Representing History in The
Rising: The Ballad of Mangal Pandey 2005
Degree MA in Anthropology
Institute Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Session January 2000 – June 2002
Majors Research Methodology; Introduction of Anthropology; Anthropology of
Economics; Political Anthropology; Anthropology of Religion, Anthropology of
South Asia
Dissertation “Survival Strategies of Fishermen of Shah Hassan of Manchhar Lake Sindh”. An
ethnographic study from an ecological perspective.
Degree B.A. in Economics
Institute Sindh University Jamshoro, Pakistan
Session January 1997 – December 1999
Majors: Macro and Micro Economics, Political Economics, Statistics
Skills
MS office applications (MS Word, Power Point),
Data Collection
Report Writing/analysing
Managerial/Organizational (events like seminars, workshops)
Languages: English, Sindhi, Urdu
Articles Published in the newspapers
1-Pollution through aquaculture (http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/16/letted.htm)
2-A crisis in making, http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-20-07-2008/pol1.htm#5
3-Seeking Justice, 7 July 2008 (http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-06-07-2008/pol1.htm#3)
4-Danish Tragedy, 29 January 2006
5-Laws in Infancy, 31 July 2005
6-Young, Eager Hands, 21 January 2004
7-Safety Nets for Fishermen, 28 November 2004
8-Too Young to Die, 18 July 04
9-Crime: A Cerebral Lust, 13-June 04
10-Informal Economy & Decent Work, 02 May 04
11-Giving Credit Where Its Not Due, 4 April 04
References
Mr. Kim Christian Schrøder, Professor, the Department of Communication, Roskilde DenmarkEmail: kimsc@ruc.dk, Phone : (+45) 46 74 38 08
Mr. Robert Ferguson,
Professor, the School of Culture, Language and Communication, Institute of Education, University of London. Email: r.ferguson@ioe.ac.uk, Phone: +44 (0)20 7612 6512
Mr. Zulfiqar Shah, Joint Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER). Email zulfiqarshah@yahoo.com, Phone +92320 20 29 64 5
Friday, August 15, 2008
Clandestine’ deforestation drive putting mangroves at even greater risk
A clandestine plan to clear out mangroves has been discovered by a visiting team of environmentalists. It is alleged that, once cleared out, the land near Ibrahim Hyderi and Gizri will be put to commercial use.
The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) have hurled allegations at the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) officials, saying that the area comes under the jurisdiction of the DHA.
A large number of people have been hired by the agents of the influential timber mafia to cut the endangered mangroves from inside the forests and they have destroyed wide expanses of mangroves from the inside of the forest, alleged a PFF spokesman while talking to The News. However, he said, this clever eradication of flora is not obvious from the outside.
The Sindh forest department had deployed officials near Rehri, a fishermen locality, to keep strict vigil over the move, but the officials have allegedly joined hands with the mafia to wipe out the mangroves.
When contacted, the local forest department officials claimed that they were there to impose fines against those caught red-handed. However, the situation observed by the visiting team reveals that influential officials, local sea lords and certain government bodies have initiated a joint move to clean the forest area, leaving millions of the city’s inhabitants vulnerable to natural calamities.
“When we entered the mangroves forest on boat we saw the horrible sight of trees being chopped down. People who introduced themselves to us as labourers on daily wages were axing live trees openly without any fear,” said Abdullah Khoso, who is conducting a study on mangroves and keeping an eye over the destruction of thick forests.
“It needs proper attention nobody can calculate how much area these people have already cleared. Each labourer is being paid Rs200 daily wages for the work,” added Khoso.
The concerned traders take the wood cutters to the forests on boat in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Timber is being transported by boats to the seashore where trucks and tractor trolleys are loaded with the ill-gotten cargo. This is an organised move and environmentalists have been unable to take notice of this up until now.
Though the activity takes place in broad day light, civic authorities as well as environmentalists are silent over the issue. It is unfortunate that the institutions made to safeguard the people and the natural resources of the country are completely dysfunctional and are destroying everything around there, the PFF spokesman added.
Mangroves are a sanctuary for shrimps, crabs, fish and a wide array of birds. The thick mangroves forests are now under extreme pressure due to lack of fresh water in the Indus Delta, coupled with the discharge of untreated effluents from industries and sewage from city. The increased demand for timber for fuel and other uses is also threatening the mangroves.
However, the present government has been seen to be reluctant to take immediate steps to stop the mass destruction of mangroves.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=123624
The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) have hurled allegations at the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) officials, saying that the area comes under the jurisdiction of the DHA.
A large number of people have been hired by the agents of the influential timber mafia to cut the endangered mangroves from inside the forests and they have destroyed wide expanses of mangroves from the inside of the forest, alleged a PFF spokesman while talking to The News. However, he said, this clever eradication of flora is not obvious from the outside.
The Sindh forest department had deployed officials near Rehri, a fishermen locality, to keep strict vigil over the move, but the officials have allegedly joined hands with the mafia to wipe out the mangroves.
When contacted, the local forest department officials claimed that they were there to impose fines against those caught red-handed. However, the situation observed by the visiting team reveals that influential officials, local sea lords and certain government bodies have initiated a joint move to clean the forest area, leaving millions of the city’s inhabitants vulnerable to natural calamities.
“When we entered the mangroves forest on boat we saw the horrible sight of trees being chopped down. People who introduced themselves to us as labourers on daily wages were axing live trees openly without any fear,” said Abdullah Khoso, who is conducting a study on mangroves and keeping an eye over the destruction of thick forests.
“It needs proper attention nobody can calculate how much area these people have already cleared. Each labourer is being paid Rs200 daily wages for the work,” added Khoso.
The concerned traders take the wood cutters to the forests on boat in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Timber is being transported by boats to the seashore where trucks and tractor trolleys are loaded with the ill-gotten cargo. This is an organised move and environmentalists have been unable to take notice of this up until now.
Though the activity takes place in broad day light, civic authorities as well as environmentalists are silent over the issue. It is unfortunate that the institutions made to safeguard the people and the natural resources of the country are completely dysfunctional and are destroying everything around there, the PFF spokesman added.
Mangroves are a sanctuary for shrimps, crabs, fish and a wide array of birds. The thick mangroves forests are now under extreme pressure due to lack of fresh water in the Indus Delta, coupled with the discharge of untreated effluents from industries and sewage from city. The increased demand for timber for fuel and other uses is also threatening the mangroves.
However, the present government has been seen to be reluctant to take immediate steps to stop the mass destruction of mangroves.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=123624
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Beyond enemy waters
Detained fishermen are languishing for nothing, says Abdullah Khoso
On October 11 2008, seven Indians arrived at Karachi’s Jinah Terminal Airport. The government of Gujrat, India, on behalf of Indian boat owners, had sent these men to recover confiscated boats – the poor Indian fishermen who used them now being in Pakistani jails. The purpose of the delegation was to survey the conditions of the confiscated boats for possible auction. Yet, they also brought with them letters from family members, for their loved ones now behind bars. “I will be looked on with suspicion if we are not successful in meeting with machawara (fishers),” Bharat Modi, a member of the delegate, confessed. “When I was leaving the village for the airport, to travel to Karachi, hundreds of fisherwomen gathered at my home, all wanting me to give messages to their relatives.”
According to Modi, 434 Indian fishermen now languish in Pakistani jails, almost all of them from the small village of Wanak Bara in District Diu of Gujrat, India. “There are mostly women left in the village,” Modi said. “All their men are in Pakistani jails.” And it’s not just the men. The boats they used – some 326 of them – were taken into the possession of Pakistani authorities. Of these, 186 boats have already been auctioned in Pakistani markets. On the other side of the border, a similar syndrome is in effect, though in lesser numbers. Official records list eight Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails, but the unofficial count is 55, said Veligi Masani, the leader of the Indian delegation. Eighty-seven Pakistani boats are also held by the Indian government.
Although the Indian Delegation was denied access to the detained fishermen – they did not have prior authorisation from the Sindh government -- these arrests are nothing new. Since 1987, both Pakistani and Indian authorities – the MSA in Pakistan, and the Coast Guard, Border Security Force, and the Indian Navy in India – have been arresting each other’s fishermen and confiscating their boats in the Arabian Sea. A total of 4,516 Indian fishers, with 729 boars, have been apprehended by Pakistan over the last 20 years, according to a 2008 study by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), a grassroots organisation that represents fishermen’s rights.
The rationale behind the arrests borders on ludicrous. The coast guards of the two rival nations officially consider the fishermen as spies or smugglers infringing on their sovereign waters. And so when fishermen unintentionally drift into “enemy” waters – due to engine failure or high tides, or because they are unable to find fish closer to home – they are picked up. But without any form of demarcation, it is difficult for fishermen to gauge exactly where the borders actually lie. What’s more, according to PFF, more often than not, fishermen are arrested even when they are within their country’s territorial boundaries. “Fishers usually do not cross borders, but security agencies violate international maritime laws and take fishers from the fishers’ own home waters,” said Gulab Shah, a fisher folk representative in Thatta District. “They bring more fishers for detention just to show their performance,” he added.
Fisher families maintain that illegal profit-making is also at work. On both sides of the border, agencies impound fishing equipment, fish and boats, often worth more than six or seven lakh, and then sell these in the market. In an ironic twist, the money gained from the sales is shared between Indian and Pakistan coast guard authorities.
In one of the more recent detentions, eight Pakistani fishers were captured in August 2008, and are now being held in Bhej Jail, Gujrat. Among those arrested was a 10-year-old boy. Days later, a 13-year-old boy, along with four other fishermen, were detained. On October 31, the Indian Coast Guard seized a Pakistani boat carrying seven crewmembers near Kajhar Creek, within Pakistani territorial limits.
On both sides of border, heart-wrenching stories abound. Many of those detained are the sole breadwinner in their family, yet it sometimes takes years for families to discover what happened to their husbands, brothers and sons. Janat, a resident of Rehri Goth, a coastal village of Karachi, did not know what happened to her husband, Achar, for four years, finally learning of his fate from a letter he sent from prison. Achar was arrested 15 years ago, and remains in an Indian prison today. The verdict, reached in 2006, was narcotics smuggling, Achar wrote in a letter to his wife. It took the Indian justice system 13 years to bring the case to court.
Achar’s mother, Mai Asi, 90, can only pray that she will be able to see Achar and his brother, who was also arrested 15 years ago, again. “One day Allah will send me back my children, she said with tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. “What can I do but pray for their safety and long life?” Mai Asi’s husband died of shock after he learnt of his two sons’ arrests, Janat, Achar’s wife, said.
On May 10 1999, Usman Sacho, Nawaz, Usman Ali and Zaman Khan, all of Karochan, Thatta District, went fishing and did not return. Five years later, in 2004, Usman Sacho’s family received a letter from Usman, telling them that the four men were alive and detained in Sabir Matti Jail in Ahmedabad, Gujrat under charges of smuggling. In his letter, Usman wrote, “We get very little to eat. Even our enemies should not have to stay in such a jail.”
A PFF representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that jail conditions were poor and justice slow or nonexistent for fishers. With no one to pursue or support their cases, the fisher folk are a low priority. And, the representative said, “if anyone tries to approach or help them, he is looked on suspiciously and considered a spy.”
Another representative of PFF admitted that working for the detained fishermen was an onerous task. “Disclosing news about Indian fishers arrested by Pakistani agencies is not a big deal,” he said. “The problem arises when the media publishes news of Pakistani fishers arrested by Indian agencies quoting PFF as a source.” The office’s phones start ringing non-stop with intelligence officers interrogating them over the phone, he said, adding that PFF was threatened to reveal their sources. “Our answer remains the same, we learnt it through the internet and their [the captured men’s] fellow fishers.”
According to PFF, Indian and Pakistani forces have killed18 Pakistani and four Indian fishermen, respectively, over the last 18 years. Yet, there are simple solutions that could put an end to this tragic and unnecessary waste of life. That disenfranchised fishermen should be killed or held for years in prison without charge is a humanitarian atrocity, and more must be done to protect the civil rights of fishing communities, both in India and in Pakistan.
At the very least, a mechanism through which information can be passed in a timely manner to effected families must be put in place. Better, the families should be provided with economic relief. Each country must also improve their management of fisheries within their Economic Exclusive Zone to reduce pressure on fishermen to cross the border in search of a better catch. A bilateral solution must be reached. Abdullah Khoso lives in Karachi
This article published in The Friday Times. Fri, 12/05/2008.
On October 11 2008, seven Indians arrived at Karachi’s Jinah Terminal Airport. The government of Gujrat, India, on behalf of Indian boat owners, had sent these men to recover confiscated boats – the poor Indian fishermen who used them now being in Pakistani jails. The purpose of the delegation was to survey the conditions of the confiscated boats for possible auction. Yet, they also brought with them letters from family members, for their loved ones now behind bars. “I will be looked on with suspicion if we are not successful in meeting with machawara (fishers),” Bharat Modi, a member of the delegate, confessed. “When I was leaving the village for the airport, to travel to Karachi, hundreds of fisherwomen gathered at my home, all wanting me to give messages to their relatives.”
According to Modi, 434 Indian fishermen now languish in Pakistani jails, almost all of them from the small village of Wanak Bara in District Diu of Gujrat, India. “There are mostly women left in the village,” Modi said. “All their men are in Pakistani jails.” And it’s not just the men. The boats they used – some 326 of them – were taken into the possession of Pakistani authorities. Of these, 186 boats have already been auctioned in Pakistani markets. On the other side of the border, a similar syndrome is in effect, though in lesser numbers. Official records list eight Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails, but the unofficial count is 55, said Veligi Masani, the leader of the Indian delegation. Eighty-seven Pakistani boats are also held by the Indian government.
Although the Indian Delegation was denied access to the detained fishermen – they did not have prior authorisation from the Sindh government -- these arrests are nothing new. Since 1987, both Pakistani and Indian authorities – the MSA in Pakistan, and the Coast Guard, Border Security Force, and the Indian Navy in India – have been arresting each other’s fishermen and confiscating their boats in the Arabian Sea. A total of 4,516 Indian fishers, with 729 boars, have been apprehended by Pakistan over the last 20 years, according to a 2008 study by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), a grassroots organisation that represents fishermen’s rights.
The rationale behind the arrests borders on ludicrous. The coast guards of the two rival nations officially consider the fishermen as spies or smugglers infringing on their sovereign waters. And so when fishermen unintentionally drift into “enemy” waters – due to engine failure or high tides, or because they are unable to find fish closer to home – they are picked up. But without any form of demarcation, it is difficult for fishermen to gauge exactly where the borders actually lie. What’s more, according to PFF, more often than not, fishermen are arrested even when they are within their country’s territorial boundaries. “Fishers usually do not cross borders, but security agencies violate international maritime laws and take fishers from the fishers’ own home waters,” said Gulab Shah, a fisher folk representative in Thatta District. “They bring more fishers for detention just to show their performance,” he added.
Fisher families maintain that illegal profit-making is also at work. On both sides of the border, agencies impound fishing equipment, fish and boats, often worth more than six or seven lakh, and then sell these in the market. In an ironic twist, the money gained from the sales is shared between Indian and Pakistan coast guard authorities.
In one of the more recent detentions, eight Pakistani fishers were captured in August 2008, and are now being held in Bhej Jail, Gujrat. Among those arrested was a 10-year-old boy. Days later, a 13-year-old boy, along with four other fishermen, were detained. On October 31, the Indian Coast Guard seized a Pakistani boat carrying seven crewmembers near Kajhar Creek, within Pakistani territorial limits.
On both sides of border, heart-wrenching stories abound. Many of those detained are the sole breadwinner in their family, yet it sometimes takes years for families to discover what happened to their husbands, brothers and sons. Janat, a resident of Rehri Goth, a coastal village of Karachi, did not know what happened to her husband, Achar, for four years, finally learning of his fate from a letter he sent from prison. Achar was arrested 15 years ago, and remains in an Indian prison today. The verdict, reached in 2006, was narcotics smuggling, Achar wrote in a letter to his wife. It took the Indian justice system 13 years to bring the case to court.
Achar’s mother, Mai Asi, 90, can only pray that she will be able to see Achar and his brother, who was also arrested 15 years ago, again. “One day Allah will send me back my children, she said with tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. “What can I do but pray for their safety and long life?” Mai Asi’s husband died of shock after he learnt of his two sons’ arrests, Janat, Achar’s wife, said.
On May 10 1999, Usman Sacho, Nawaz, Usman Ali and Zaman Khan, all of Karochan, Thatta District, went fishing and did not return. Five years later, in 2004, Usman Sacho’s family received a letter from Usman, telling them that the four men were alive and detained in Sabir Matti Jail in Ahmedabad, Gujrat under charges of smuggling. In his letter, Usman wrote, “We get very little to eat. Even our enemies should not have to stay in such a jail.”
A PFF representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that jail conditions were poor and justice slow or nonexistent for fishers. With no one to pursue or support their cases, the fisher folk are a low priority. And, the representative said, “if anyone tries to approach or help them, he is looked on suspiciously and considered a spy.”
Another representative of PFF admitted that working for the detained fishermen was an onerous task. “Disclosing news about Indian fishers arrested by Pakistani agencies is not a big deal,” he said. “The problem arises when the media publishes news of Pakistani fishers arrested by Indian agencies quoting PFF as a source.” The office’s phones start ringing non-stop with intelligence officers interrogating them over the phone, he said, adding that PFF was threatened to reveal their sources. “Our answer remains the same, we learnt it through the internet and their [the captured men’s] fellow fishers.”
According to PFF, Indian and Pakistani forces have killed18 Pakistani and four Indian fishermen, respectively, over the last 18 years. Yet, there are simple solutions that could put an end to this tragic and unnecessary waste of life. That disenfranchised fishermen should be killed or held for years in prison without charge is a humanitarian atrocity, and more must be done to protect the civil rights of fishing communities, both in India and in Pakistan.
At the very least, a mechanism through which information can be passed in a timely manner to effected families must be put in place. Better, the families should be provided with economic relief. Each country must also improve their management of fisheries within their Economic Exclusive Zone to reduce pressure on fishermen to cross the border in search of a better catch. A bilateral solution must be reached. Abdullah Khoso lives in Karachi
This article published in The Friday Times. Fri, 12/05/2008.
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