By Muhammad Luqman
Seventy-Eight Indian fishermen released by Pakistan on Sunday, crossed over into their homeland by Wagha border on Monday afternoon. They were held in Karachi’s Landhi jail for violating Pakistani territorial waters. The Indian fishermen reached Lahore from Karachi by al train and were taken to Wagha India-Pakistan border crossing by a special train.
298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India, an official Sindh, the Southern Pakistan province said.
Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing in Arabian Sea as many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.
Pakistan had handed over a list of 546 Indian prisoners including 494 fishermen to the High Commission of India in Islamabad on July 1. Indian government reciprocated by providing the list of Pakistani prisoners in their jails to the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. This was consistent with the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India, signed on 21 May 2008, under which both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July, respectively.
