Pak, India urged to free fishermen

LAHORE:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the Pakistani and Indian governments to renew their commitment to bilateral peace as they celebrate their national independence days by securing the release of over 300 fisher folk languishing in each other’s jails.

An HRCP spokesperson said that fisher folk hail from poor, marginalised coastal communities. Too often, they are simply forgotten if arrested by neighboring country for having strayed inadvertently into their territorial waters, the spokesperson said.

“Their right to consular access and nationality verification is consistently violated.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2020.