Families of Pakistani fishermen arrested by India urge govt to seek their release

Karachi, Dec 13 (PTI) The families of 11 Pakistani fishermen, including two teenage boys, who have been arrested by Indian maritime authorities this week, have appealed for their release, pleading they are just poor fishermen.

The families urged the Pakistan government to get them released through diplomatic channels.

Ahmed Brohi, the father of one of the arrested fishermen, Ghulam Mustafa, said they all lived close to each other in Ibrahim Hyderi, a fishing village in west Karachi.

“We are all poor people, and we earn our livelihood through fishing. I urge the government to do something because we have already suffered a lot in the past,” he said on Saturday.

According to Ahmed, four years back, three fishermen were arrested for illegally fishing near Sir Creek waters and are still in Indian jails.

Indian media reported that their Coast Guard had apprehended the 11 Pakistani fishermen on Wednesday after their boat was found inside Indian waters near Jakhau.

But the chairperson of the Sindh Fisheries Department, Fatima Majeed, said the fishermen might have accidentally crossed over into Indian territorial waters near Kajar Creek.

Since there is no visible demarcation in the Arabian Sea between the two countries, Fatima said most of the arrests occur near the Kajar Creek or Sir Creek waters, which are close to the Indian state of Gujarat.

She said that for these poor fishermen from both countries, there are no clear borders, and they have to earn a living.

Fatima added that Kajar Creek and Sir Creek, a little ahead of Thatta, are marshy areas from where fishermen from both countries are often arrested by maritime security or coast guard authorities.

Fatima said that the fishermen arrested this time have two children, Zaheer and Habib, aged 12 and 15, respectively.

“I urge the Indian authorities to release the children at least, on humanitarian grounds,” she added.

As per records with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, an advocacy group for poor fishermen in Sindh province, with the latest arrests, the number of Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails has risen to around 74.  Pakistan and Indian governments regularly exchanged prisoners, and most of them were poor fishermen.

However, the process has slowed down since last year due to the ongoing tensions between the two countries. PTI CORR RD RD RD