Fisherman returns home after 4 years in Indian jail

After spending nearly four years in an Indian prison, 40-year-old Badin fisherman Mehboob Ali, son of Yousuf Mallah, has finally returned to Pakistan, bringing a wave of joy to his family in the coastal village of Tayyab Mallah.

Mehboob Ali was reportedly fishing at sea around four years ago when he inadvertently entered Indian waters. Indian forces arrested him and transferred him to prison. After nearly four years in Indian jails, he was released along with other Pakistani fishermen and handed over to Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border.

According to sources, 25 Pakistani fishermen imprisoned in various Indian jails were released and repatriated to Pakistan in the latest phase. They include Mehboob Ali Mallah, a resident of Tayyab Mallah village on the Badin coast. The other released fishermen include Khamiso, son of Siddiq Mallah, from Shah Bandar taluka, and Jan Mohammad, son of Lal Khan Mallah, and Bilawal, son of Khamiso Mallah, residents of Zero Point village on the Jati coast. The remaining 21 fishermen are reportedly from Karachi.

Expressing happiness over the release, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Central Chairman Syed Mehran Ali Shah, Chairperson Yasmin Shah, Badin district office-bearers and fishermen leaders Nabi Bakhsh Mallah, Abdul Rahim Chandani, Mithan Mallah, Qasim Chou and others said the fishermen's sustained struggle had finally borne fruit.

They said the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum had continuously raised their voice for the release of Pakistani fishermen languishing in Indian prisons. The forum had highlighted the problems faced by arrested fishermen and their families at the government level and also raised the issue nationally and internationally to secure the release of poor fishermen detained over violations of the maritime boundary between Pakistan and India.