Neighbourly Relations: PFF applauds decision to release fishermen

KARACHI: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) welcomed the decision of the Pakistani and Indian governments to release all the fishermen and their boats in each other’s custody within 15 days. The Indian government said that they have only 37 Pakistani fishermen in their jails, while PFF focal person Mustafa Gurgaiz, who deals with the issue of detained fishermen, claimed there are 130 fishermen missing from Pakistan. He said they must be in Indian jails and urged both the governments to probe the matter and release them if they have been detained. He added that both the governments must follow the proposals of the representative bodies of the communities in India and Pakistan to avoid targeting fishing boats and crews, because they were workers who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2015.