Pakistan releases 78 Indian fishermen

Pakistan on Sunday released 78 Indian fishermen who had been apprehended for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said.

“The fishermen were released from Karachi’s Landhi jail,” said an official of the provincial home department of Sindh, Naseem Siddiqui.  The freed fishermen are expected to cross over into India on Monday.

Siddiqui said, “298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India.”

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time. In January this year, Pakistan had released 219 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture, while 18 Pakistani fishermen arrested in India reached Karachi on March 4.

However, in April, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency arrested 29 Indian fishermen for violating marine boundaries and seized five boats. Prior to that, on March 26, nearly 100 Indian fishermen were taken into custody for illegally fishing in Pakistan’s boundaries and 19 boats were seized.