This Article is From May 08, 2019

34 Indian Fishermen Arrested For Straying Into Pakistan Waters

This is the first time since January that the Pak maritime security agency has arrested Indian fishermen.

34 Indian Fishermen Arrested For Straying Into Pakistan Waters

The fishermen have been handed over to the local dock police (Representational)

Karachi:

Pakistan has arrested 34 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the country's territorial waters, nearly 10 days after releasing 60 prisoners from India as a goodwill gesture, officials said on Wednesday.

The fishermen, arrested yesterday, have been handed over to the police, a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency spokesman said.

"They will appear before a judicial magistrate who will decide on their judicial remand," he said.

This is the first time since January that the maritime security agency has arrested Indian fishermen.

In January, five Gujarati boatmen were arrested and jailed.

On April 29, Pakistan released 55 Indian fishermen and five civilians as a "goodwill gesture" amidst tension between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack.

Last month, the Pakistani government released more than 250 Indian fishermen from the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi.

The fishermen were released in three phases. The Pakistan Foreign Ministry had earlier announced to release 360 Indian fishermen in four separate batches in April as a goodwill gesture.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen often get arrested in foreign waters as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.

Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes years.

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