28 Indian fishermen held for wading into Pakistani waters

They say their boats were caught in a storm

KARACHI: As many as 28 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistani security forces as they were fishing illegally in the country’s territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. The arrests were made by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).

According to a spokesperson, the PMSA carried out an operation during which they arrested 28 Indian fishermen and seized five boats for illegal fishing, adding that the arrested fishermen were handed over to the Docks police for further investigation.

Docks police officials confirmed that PMSA handed over the custody of the fishermen to them. They said that the cases have been registered under the foreign and fisheries acts while the arrested fishermen would be presented before a court today (Saturday).



Shanti Tappu, one of the arrested fishermen, said that their boat was caught in a storm and they unknowingly ended up in Pakistani waters. He appealed to the Indian government to release Pakistani fishermen so that the move is reciprocated and they are released.

Every year dozens of Indian and Pakistani fishermen are arrested in the Arabian Sea after, straying across marine borders. They often suffer in prisons even after serving their sentences because of poor diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Hundreds of Indian fishermen are already imprisoned at District Jail Malir for illegally fishing into Pakistani waters. However, some 291 Indian fishermen are likely to be released on humanitarian grounds in two phases starting from next week. Earlier this month, 43 Indian fishermen were arrested and their fishing vessels seized.