Indian delegation arrives in Karachi to release 57 fishing boats

The government decided to release fishing boats last year, when PM Nawaz visited Delhi

VADODARA: An 8-member delegation from the Indian state, Gujarat, arrived in Karachi to take back 57 seized boats, The Economic Times reported on Tuesday.  

The government had decided to release the 57 fishing boats in May 2014, when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  visited Delhi to attend Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony.

The Pakistan High Commission in Delhi granted visa to the delegation last week. Superintendent of Gujarat Fisheries department, K B Thakur said that the delegation, which includes leaders from the fishermen community and a Gujrat fisheries department official, had reached Karachi yesterday.

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"After the grant, the department has submitted visa application of 157 mechanics from Gujarat and Diu to undertake repair works of the boats," Thakur said.

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"The team will take a stock of the boats and the work required and accordingly, based on their briefing, we will send a team of mechanics," he added.

He said of the 57 boats, 53 require minor repairs while the remaining ones major repairs and it is an important exercise to check sea worthiness of the boats before they could be physically brought back to India.