Pakistan releases 36 Indian fishermen

Prisoners were fishermen arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency for entering Pakistani waters

KARACHI:

Pakistani authorities on Friday released from Karachi’s Malir district jail 36 Indian prisoners who have served out their sentences.

The prisoners were fishermen arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA) for entering into Pakistani waters. Superintendent District Jail Malir Mirza Shuja Haider Baig told The Express Tribune that the prisoners were with them for the past one year and had completed their term.

“They were released on Friday and later boarded a bus arranged by the Edhi Foundation which will take them to Wagah border at Lahore,” he said, adding that all the 36 prisoners were fishermen apprehended by MSA. Pakistani and Indian maritime security agencies continuously arrest fishermen for breaching maritime borders. Most of the poor fishermen do not have equipment to ascertain maritime borders.

According to Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) — a representative body of fishermen — at least 423 Indian fishermen are in Pakistani jails and nearly 400 Pakistani fishermen are in Indian jails for many years.

PFF media coordinator Kamal Shah said that some Pakistani fishermen were languishing in Indian jails for more than two decades. “We call them missing fishermen and their number is 56 but they are in Indian jails.  The fishermen released by India have seen them and lived with them,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2014.