In deep waters: Twenty Indian fishermen arrested

Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has arrested 20 Indian fishermen for violating the territorial waters of the country, said a MSA official on Sunday.

The Indian fishermen were arrested and brought to Karachi early Sunday morning. Their boats were also seized. "We are preparing documents to produce all of them in court tomorrow," said police official Fida Hussain.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained on the charge, as the two countries' borders are not clearly defined in the Arabian Sea and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be able to detect their precise location.

Many fishermen are sent to jail before being handed over to the authorities in their homeland. "The court is likely to send them to jail for at least a year due the violation," said Hussain. The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their term, due to the poor diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 29^th,  2016.