Amid protests in Pakistan against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, 198 Indian fishermen, 183 of them from Gujarat, were released by the Pakistan government from a jail in Karachi late Thursday after their completed their sentences.
The fishermen released on Thursday are part of the 500 Indian prisoners — 499 fishermen and one civilian — who are to be released and repatriated by Pakistan by July 3 this year. Activists have demanded that India should reciprocate by releasing Pakistani fishermen languishing in Indian prisons. In all, 200 people, including the civilian prisoner, were to be released on Thursday. However, the civilian and one fisherman died on Saturday and Monday, respectively, and uncertainty prevails as to when their mortal remains will be repatriated to India.
“Given the protests going on in Pakistan, there were concerns whether the Pakistan government will release the first batch of Indian fishermen as scheduled on Thursday. However, Pakistan released 198 Indian fishermen as scheduled from Landi jail in Karachi,” Jatin Desai, former general secretary of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), said. The 198 fishermen released included 183 from Gujarat, five from Maharashtra, four each from Union Territory of Diu and Uttar Pradesh and one from Andhra Pradesh and one more from another state.
“One civilian prisoner, Zulfikar, was to be released on Thursday but he died in jail on Saturday. One fisherman from Gujarat was also to be freed but he died on Monday. There is no word as yet on when their mortal remains will be repatriated,” Desai, the Mumbai-based journalist who is also a peace activist, said.
The PIPFPD is an organisation of prominent citizens and activists of India and Pakistan working for friendly relations between the two countries. India and Pakistan have disagreements over the alignment of the notional International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) at the Arabian Sea. Pakistan Maritime Security Agency arrests a few hundred Indian fishermen every year for alleged violation of its territorial waters. On the other hand, Indian agencies also arrest a few dozen Pakistani fishermen every year for allegedly crossing over to the Indian side of the IMBL.
As of January 1 this year, 654 Indian fishermen and 51 Indian civilians are in Pakistani jails. Similarly, there were 95 Pakistani fishermen and 339 Pakistani civilians in jails of India. As per Desai, of the 654 Indian fishermen, 631 have completed their prison terms in Pakistan and their nationality has been verified. Among the 631, 498 are to be released and repatriated. This is the first batch of Indian fishermen released by Pakistan since last June when 20 fishermen were released. “The 198 fishermen released from Landi jail are set to board a train from Karachi and are likely to be handed over to Indian authorities on Friday evening,” Desai said, adding 200 more fishermen are to be released on June 2 and 100 more on July 3.
Meanwhile, a team of two officers and six staff members of the Gujarat fisheries department have left for Amritsar to receive the Gujarati fishermen. “The Indian fishermen are scheduled to be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah border near Amritsar on Friday evening. Our team has already reached Amritsar to receive the fishermen,” an officer of the fisheries department said. Desai demanded that India should also reciprocate Pakistan’s gesture. “Majority of Pakistani fishermen being held in India have completed their prison sentences. As Pakistan has decided to release Indian fishermen, India should also release those Pakistani fishermen who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been verified.”