A fisherman with a henna-dyed beard rows a boat out in Karachi's China Creek, Pakistan. PHOTO: REUTERS
Dressed in rugged shalwar kameez, busy loading ice blocks for their next voyage into sea, the fishermen at the Karachi Fish Harbour are troubled with only one thought.
What Sarabjit Singh’s death means for the Pakistani fishermen?
They might not have been out to the fishery for months but the news of the Indian spy’s death in the Kot Lakhpat Jail has reached them. And since then, the question has been troubling them.
“The Indians will take revenge of Sarabjit Singh’s murder from Pakistan fishermen inside Indian prisons,” says 40-year-old Syed Rehman, captain of a boat preparing to set sail.
“Their Navy will also intensify their sea patrols and try to confiscate our boats and fishermen even if they enter into the Indian waters by mistake,” adds Rehman.
The fisherman, who has spent the last 25 years on the coasts of the Arabian Sea, accuses the government of negligence. “Keeping in mind the nature of his crime, the government should have provided Sarabjit complete security. It was the government’s responsibility to hang him according to the court’s orders,” Rehman contends.
“But what happened with him has been totally unjust and a result of jailers’ negligence,” he said.
The question doesn’t restrict itself to only one boat at the harbour; other fishermen too fear the same consequences.
According to Mehboob Baloch, another fisherman, the usual response of the Indian Navy after the Pakistani army uses force against Indian fishermen is almost always the same.
Sitting in the congested cabin of his boat the 37-year old Baloch recalls the time when ears of around 20 Pakistani fishermen were cut in reaction to an incident of forced circumcision of Indian fishermen in Pakistan.
“We usually avoid going towards the Indian side for fear of being arrested by the Indian Navy but sometimes we deliberately enter their waters to get the tiger prawns.”
For Haji Jamshed, however, Sarabajit Singh was lucky enough since his body was handed back to his family. “We are a Muslim nation and kindhearted. What the Indians did to Pakistani prisoner Ajmal Qasab was brutal. They captured the innocent man labelling him a terrorist; he was tortured and later hanged. The two governments should not use the poor people as fuel for their war,” said the owner of a fishing trawler.
Condemning Singh’s killing Jamshed requested both the governments to provide better security on humanitarian grounds to prisoners.
Despite the border differences the fishermen share a unique bond between themselves. “The Indian fishermen are poor men with no clothes. We offer them our old clothes and in return they present us with coconuts,” said Waddera, a regular visitor to the Indian waters for fishing prawn and white pomfret.
But following the incident he too says that it is best to stay away from the Indian waters for some time. “We will fish near Balochistan coast until the Singh’s issue gets forgotten,” he says.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2013.
COMMENTS (10)
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@javaid iqbal randhawa lets assume that "cutting ears" story is real but he states that is was just a similar reaction.
cutting ears by Indians? If really this is the case media should investigate and bring on papers. If really it happened what Indians will answer for their brutal act. The fishermen on both sides should be treated softly and if they are found in other waters, they should be pushed back in their own waters. It is not written on the fish that it is Pakistani or Indian fish.
Its best that fishermen from both countries fish in there own waters, It is risky to venture into the other countries waters.
Benefit of doubt should be given to fishermen who accidentally stray into other nations waters.
They are poor people struggling to make ends meet and its also a risky job.
LOL fishermen in Pakistan have a fishy brain.
quite a self contradictory statement.Muslim nation and kindhearted is an oxymoron.
These guys are admiting to illegal tresspassing into Indian waters to catch tiger prawns. If they are arrested by Indian Navy, they will have to face the music. This time it may not be cutting of ears, but possibly worse.
So according to this guy, was Kasab a poor fisherman who strayed into Indian waters and mistook Bombay for Karachi? Never mind the AK47 he was carrying. That was a ploy to catch more fish.
"What the Indians did to Pakistani prisoner Ajmal Qasab was brutal. They captured the innocent man labelling him a terrorist; he was tortured and later hanged."
Wow! The ordinary Pakistanis indeed believe the conspiracy theories fed to them by the Establishment and live in perpetual denial and obscurantism.
Guys who extend sympathy to Ajmal qasab claiming he is innocent, do not deserve any sympathy from anyone. None at all.
If this so then why we do take the law in our hands and why do we try to punish the others which is the duty of law enforcement agencies/departments?We have to cerebrate first before taking any severe step to punish the Indian prisoners and also have to cerebrate that Pakistani prisoners are also imprisoned in Indian jails and they may/shall face the music of our mistakes......
Forced circumcision? Severed ears? Why is this the first time we're hearing about this?