199 Indian Prisoners to be Freed from Pak Jails on May 12; One Indian Dies in Karachi 

As a goodwill gesture, Pakistani authorities are expected to release 199 Indian fishermen on May 12. Meanwhile, an Indian civilian who was to be repatriated with them died in a Karachi hospital.

These fishermen will be sent to Lahore and handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border. Currently, these fishermen are lodged at the Landhi jail in Pakistan.

But an Indian civilian prisoner, Zulfiqar, who was to be repatriated with the fishermen, died in a hospital in Karachi on Saturday.

The Indian prisoner had complained of high fever and chest problems last week. He passed away due to apparent lung infection.

According to the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, at present 631 Indian fishermen and one civilian prisoner are still in the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi even after completion of their prison sentences.

Most of these Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails were arrested for allegedly violating the marine territorial demarcation treaty between Pakistan and India. Most of them are poor illiterates.