Karachi
The Fisherfolk Forum, Ibrahim Haidri, hosted a memorial event to pay tribute to their woman leader Tahira Shah, who died in a road accident a few weeks ago.
A large number of women attended the event. Tahira Shah was one of the founding women activists and leaders of the world’s largest fisherfolk social movement.
Based in Karachi’s backward fishing village of Ibrahim Haidri, she mobilised women from the fishing community to stand up for their rights, end contracting practices and free themselves from the control of contractors so that fishermen could be economically empowered.
In her 25-year-long struggle for water rights, fishermen and defending the flow of the River Indus, along with her fellow activists, she was part of a long march from Badin to Jamshoro that called for burying plans to build more dams on the river.
The memorial event was attended by social activists, including the chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Mohammad Ali Shah and Mushtaque Rajpar.