Maritime security agency arrests 38 Indian fishermen

Police expected to present the fishermen before a magistrate

KARACHI: Pakistan has arrested 38 Indian fishermen for violating territorial waters in the Arabian Sea, police said on Thursday.

Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (MSA) said the fishermen had strayed into Pakistani waters on Wednesday. They were detained by the agency before being handed over to Karachi police, a senior police official told AFP.

"They (the MSA) have handed them over to police for further legal proceedings," Javed Jiskani, the senior police official told AFP.

Police will present the fishermen before a magistrate, who will send them to jail for "violating territorial waters illegally," Jiskani said.

Such arrests are frequently carried out by both countries, as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have taken a turn for the worse in recent months, with shelling on the disputed border in Kashmir.