87 Indians freed after more than two years

Another 86 are expected to be released on March 20

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Sunday released 86 Indian fishermen who had been arrested for straying into the country’s territorial waters. Another Indian citizen, who had illegally crossed the Pakistani border, was also released with them.

The Indian nationals were freed from the Landhi Jail in Karachi. “After releasing these 87 Indians, we now have a total of 457 more in the prison, and most of them are fishermen arrested for territorial violation,” the jail’s deputy superintendent, Shakir Shah, told The Express Tribune. “Some 86 more Indians are likely to be released on March 20.”

Shah said all the Indians released on Sunday had been in jail for more than two and a half years. “They had completed their sentences and were freed after verification of their travel documents sent by the Indian authorities.”

The released prisoners boarded a train to Lahore. Pakistan’s leading charity Edhi Foundation paid the travel expenses of the Indians and presented them with gifts and other necessities for their journey at the time of their departure.

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

Last week, Pakistan’s maritime security forces had detained 20 Indian fishermen and impounded their four boats.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2016.