70 Indian fishermen arrested off Sindh coast

Pakistan Maritime Security Agency says all fishermen were arrested when they were in Pakistani waters

As many as 70 Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly violating Pakistani territorial waters off the coast of Sindh, Press Trust of India reported on Sunday.

“All fishermen were arrested when they were in Pakistani waters,” Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) spokesperson Lt Commander Wajid Nawaz said.

Read: The taste of freedom: Authorities release 163 Indian fishermen

“We arrested 70 fishermen yesterday,” Nawaz said, rejecting earlier reports that around 100 Indian fishermen had been arrested.

The official went on to say the fishermen will be handed over to police in Karachi to register cases against them.

Both countries regularly arrest fishermen who stray in each other's waters due to the poorly marked sea boundary.

In August, Pakistan released 138 Indian fishermen from Landhi jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture. According to reports, the Indian fishermen were released by the government in pursuance of Ufa talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart and as a goodwill gesture to the people and the government of India

After the Ufa meeting between PM Nawaz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early July, the two leaders had issued a joint statement that outlined a number of steps the two countries intended to take to improve their relationship, including the release of fishermen in each other’s custody along with their boats within 15 days.

Read: Pakistan releases 183 Indian fishermen

In June this year, at least 113 Indian fishermen had been released after a similar gesture by New Delhi was announced to mark the start of the holy month of Ramazan. The fishermen, who had been kept in a Karachi jail for nine months to a year, were put on a train bound for Lahore.