“We did not face harassment in prison. We got a chapati for breakfast and two chapatis each for lunch and dinner. We were assigned jobs like garland-making and even got paid for it,” said Jaywant Pachalkar (39) who along with son Jitesh (18) returned to their Palghar home on Tuesday after spending more than four years in a Pakistan jail.
The father and son were among the 198 Indian fishermen working as labourers on fishing boats who were arrested over the years by the Pakistan maritime security agency for venturing into Pakistan’s territorial waters. All 198 fishermen were released on May 11. The father-son duo along with three other fishermen from Palghar district- Arjun Davare (31) from Shanvarpada in Palghar, Jitesh Diva (20) from Jambugaon in Dahanu and Vilas Khondhari (32) from Govarpada in Talasari- reached their homes on Tuesday.
They were lodged in Malir Jail in Karachi. Vikramgad MLA Sunil Bhusare had in January submitted a memorandum to the Centre demanding the release of the fishermen, including several from Palghar, languishing in Pakistan jails. According to Bhusare, around 14 fishermen from Palghar district have served four years in jail and are awaiting release. Pachalkar said his request to be kept in prison with his son was accepted and that made the time inside easier.
It was a teary union as families met their loved ones. Pachalkar said he worked as a labourer on a fishing boat in Mumbai for about 15 years. He along with his son moved to the Mangrol port in Gujarat as the wages were much higher. The three other fishermen worked in the Mangrol port too. They recalled venturing into the sea and getting arrested by the police. The fishermen said they had no way to know how they had ventured into Pakistan territory.
In September last year, 16 fishermen, including seven from Palghar district, were arrested for venturing into Pakistan waters. Two other batches of 200 and 100 will be released on June 2 and July 3. While 200 fishermen were to be released on May 11, two of them, Muhammed Zulfikar and Soma Dev, died in jail on May 6 and 9, respectively, following prolonged illness. In November 2021, Palghar fisherman Sridhar Chamore (32) on a trawler near international waters off Kutch was shot dead by the Pakistan marine security agency.