Home at last: 11 fishermen reunite with families

Emotional embraces mark reunion; Edhi arranges journey from Lahore to Khi

KARACHI:

Some homecomings are measured not in miles travelled, but in years of longing finally coming to an end. For 11 Pakistani fishermen returning from Indian prisons, the journey back to Karachi was one such moment. At the Edhi Centre in Tower, anxious waiting gave way to tearful embraces, garlands and showers of flower petals as families welcomed home those whose safe return they had prayed for over the years.

The fishermen, among 14 Pakistanis released from Indian custody, arrived in Karachi after being transported from the Wagah border in Lahore. As they arrived, family members struggled to hold back their emotions as years of separation gave way to joyous reunions.

According to an Edhi Foundation spokesperson, arrangements for the fishermen's free transportation to Karachi were made on the instructions of Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi, who also bore all travel expenses.

Among those returning were six fishermen from Maripur - 28-year-old Muhammad Sharif Bengali, 35-year-old Noorul Amin Bangal, Kamal Hussain Bengali and Noor Nabi Bengali, 36-year-old Ameer Hussain Bengali, and 41-year-old Azeemuddin Bengali. They had been imprisoned in India since August 19, 2019.

Two other fishermen, 30-year-old Ahmed Noor and 61-year-old Abdul Rehman, residents of Korangi's Sector 50-C, had been in Indian custody since November 19, 2017. The released prisoners also included 35-year-old Mehboob Ali Mallah from Badin, 64-year-old Bashir from Musa Mohalla in Garski Village, Maripur, and 60-year-old Khamiso from Shah Bandar, Sujawal. They had been detained since September 22, 2023.

The spokesperson said the remaining three among the 14 released Pakistanis included a deaf and mute man from Bahawalpur who had reportedly crossed the border around 10 years ago. His family collected him from the Edhi Centre in Lahore.

Another released prisoner, a resident of Baldia Town, had spent eight years in Indian custody before his family also took him home from Lahore.