Pakistan frees 147 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds

Islamabad, January 7: Pakistan today released 147 Indian fishermen from Malir Jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture. As per the list given to the Indian High Commission by the Pakistani government, 457 Indian prisoners including 399 fishermen and 58 civil prisoners are in Pakistani jails.

The fishermen were arrested for fishing illegally within the marine border limits of Pakistan and have completed their prison term. The Edhi Foundation provided them with cloths and Rs 5,000 each.

Fishermen from India and Pakistan are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other’s territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

Owing to lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months.

Ties between India and Pakistan have remained strained since an attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir last year, which New Delhi blamed on Jaish-e-Mohamed.