At least 26 Indian fishermen have died in Pakistan custody in 10 years after being apprehended for allegedly violating the country’s territorial waters, the Indian government has confirmed even as the family of a Gujarat fisherman who died in Pakistan jail around a month ago is still waiting for his mortal remains. In reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has said that a total 24 Indian fishermen died in Pakistan jails between January 2014 and December 2023.
The RTI application was filed by a Mumbai-based journalist and peace activist, Jatin Desai, who has been working for the welfare of fishermen. Desai, who has also served as general secretary of the Indian chapter of the India-Pakistan People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), said with two more deaths this year, so far 26 fishermen have died in about 10 years.
“On March 17 this year, Vinod Laxman Kol, a fisherman from Maharashtra’s Palghar died in a Pakistan jail and his mortal remains were handed over to his family members only on May 1. Suresh Nathu Solanki, a fisherman hailing from Gir Somnath district of Gujarat died in a Pakistan jail on September 5,” Desai told The Indian Express. The activist had also sought names of fishermen who died in Pakistan jails, date of their deaths and date on which their mortal remains were repatriated to India. However, the high commissioner declined to share that information. “Information sought is exempt under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act 2005,” Dinesh Singh Rawat, second secretary and Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, stated in his reply dated September 26. Section 8(1)(j) of RTI Act provides for exemption from disclosure of information which “relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information.”
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India and Pakistan have disputes over the alignment of the notional International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) at the Arabian Sea off Kutch coast in Gujarat. Therefore, Pakistan Marine Security Agency (PMSA) apprehends a few hundred fishermen every year for allegedly crossing over to the Pakistan side of the IMBL. Similarly, every year, a few dozen Pakistani fishermen are arrested by the Indian authorities for allegedly violating territorial waters of India. Of late, it has been observed that it takes many weeks for mortal remains of fishermen to be repatriated from Pakistan. “In the case of the Gujarat fisherman who died in September, his nationality had already been verified. Yet his body has not been handed over to his family members a month after his death. This is a violation of human rights,” said Desai.
A senior fisheries officer in state government said: “The fisherman’s family reached out to us a few days ago, seeking information about his reported death in Pakistan jail. However, we have received no formal communication from the government of India.”