The Porbandar Fishermen Boat Owners Association in Gujarat has raised concerns over the plight of more than 184 fishermen detained in Pakistan prisons, accompanied by approximately 1200 seized boats held by the Pakistan Marines. They are urging the central government to step in either for the release of the detained individuals and boats from the Pakistani government or to extend a subsidy scheme facilitating the procurement of new boats.
The situation along the Saurashtra coast has left around 200 families, comprising 1200 family members, grappling with severe difficulties for over five years, as highlighted by Balubhai Sosa, president of the Samudra Shramik Suraksha Sangh. Sosa emphasized the inadequacy of the existing government scheme designed to provide financial assistance to affected families. Citing an example, he mentioned that families receive a mere Rs 300 per day under stringent conditions. The imprisoned individual in Pakistan must have a clean record in India, certified by the police, and should not have been arrested by Pakistani agencies more than once—parameters that are challenging to fulfill.
In Sosa’s view, financial aid or incremental increases in the aid amount do not resolve the issue. He urged the government to adhere strictly to the bilateral treaty, stipulating the release of Indian fishermen within six months of their apprehension by Pakistan. However, the fragmented nature of the fishing community, lacking a unified political voice, has hindered consistent government action in engaging with Pakistan on this matter every six months.
The apprehension of boats also poses a significant setback to the fishing sector. Mukesh Panjri, President of the Porbandar Fishing Boat Owners Association, estimated the collective worth of these idle assets to be around Rs 500 crores. He proposed a two-fold solution: firstly, pressurizing Pakistan to release the detained boats, thereby obviating the need for significant new investments, allowing existing boats to be refurbished and operationalized with minimal expenditure. Alternatively, if the release is unattainable, reinstating a subsidy scheme akin to the one during the previous UPA government could be a viable recourse. Panjri hopes for a subsidy covering up to 60% of the total cost, with the remaining 40% to be borne by the boat owners.
Shaktisinh Gohil, a Member of Rajya Sabha, echoed the concerns of the fishermen and boat owners. He urged the government to negotiate bilateral relations with Pakistan to reinstate letter correspondence between the detained fishermen in Pakistan jails and their families in Gujarat—an allowance previously permitted by the Pakistan government. Additionally, Gohil called for the revival of the subsidy scheme for fishing boats and proposed a repayment package with an extended duration to alleviate the financial burdens faced by the affected individuals and boat owners.