The released fishermen were handed over to India at the Wagah border. (Representational Image: Reuters)
Malir Jail Superintendent Nazir Tunio said they have released the first batch of Indian fishermen prisoners and two more batches will be released in June and July.
Pakistani authorities have released 198 Indian fishermen, who were lodged in a jail here after they were arrested for allegedly illegally fishing in the country’s territorial waters, and handed them over to India at the Wagah border. The fishermen were released from Malir Jail in Karachi on Thursday evening.
Malir Jail Superintendent Nazir Tunio said they had released the first batch of Indian fishermen prisoners and two more would be released in June and July.
“We released 198 prisoners on Thursday while 200 and 100 more will be released later,” he said.
Tunio said that 200 Indian fishermen were to be released from Malir jail on Thursday but two of them died due to illness.
The two deceased fishermen included one Muhammad Zulfikar, who passed away on May 6, and Som Dev, who passed away on May 9 after a prolonged illness.
Their bodies have been kept at the mortuary of the Edhi Foundation until they can be brought to India.
Soma and his nephew are among a dozen Indian fishermen who were arrested at sea about four-and-a-half years ago and are lodged in Malir jail.
Soma was sent to the hospital twice for treatment.
Tunio said that Zulfiqar died of a heart attack.
Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Welfare Trust, which arranged for the fishermen’s transport via train from Karachi to Lahore, where they were handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border, said some of the Indian fishermen also looked unwell.
“We try our best to make the journey back home comfortable and easy for these Indian fishermen. After all, most of them are in jail for the last 4 to 5 years.”
The second batch of 200 Indian fishermen will be released on June 2 and another 100 on July 3 as per the agreement between the two governments, said Saeed Baloch, secretary general of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.
Baloch said he has great sympathy for the Indian fishermen as most of them were out only for livelihood and did not even realize it when they crossed the territorial waters between the two countries.
“The sad part is that some of them had to spend 7 to 8 years in prison before getting a chance to return home,” he said.
Zahid Ibrahim Bhatti, administrator of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society, Sindh, said that around 200 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian jails and it is expected that they too will return home soon after the release of the Indian fishermen.
Pakistan and India regularly arrest rival fishermen for violating the maritime boundary, which is poorly marked at some points.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)