198 Indian Fishermen Released from Pakistan Jail; Enter India at Wagah Border

New Delhi: A Total of 198 Indian fishermen, who were languishing in a Pakistan jail, were released by Pakistan authorities. They were arrested by Pakistan security personnel for allegedly fishing illegally in Pak waters. After release these Indian fishermen were handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.

All these fishermen were imprisoned in the Malir Jail in Karachi, from where they were released on Thursday evening. Two more batches of Indian prisoners will be released from this jail in June and July.

According to jail authorities, 200 Indian fishermen were to be released on Thursday from Malir jail but two of them died due to illness. The two deceased fishermen included one Muhammad Zulfiqar who passed away on May 6 and Soma Deva who died on May 9.

Their bodies have been kept in the Edhi Foundation mortuary till they could be flown out to India.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum general secretary Saeed Baloch said that under the agreement reached between the two governments, a second batch of 200 Indian fishermen would be released on June 2 and another 100 on July 3.

Baloch said he had a lot of sympathies for the Indian fishermen as the majority of them were just out for a livelihood and did not even realize it when they crossed territorial waters between the two countries.