20 Indian fishermen released from Pak jail; to be transported till Wagah border: official

Twenty Indian fishermen, who were released recently after languishing in Pakistan's Landhi jail, will be transported to the Wagah border on Sunday to be handed over to the Indian authorities so that they can return home, a senior official said on Saturday. The 20 fishermen, who hail from Gujarat and are part of 350 other Indian fishers who have completed their jail terms and will be released in batches, would be transported to the Wagah-Attari border on Sunday morning, a senior jail officer said.

The Edhi Trust Foundation, a non-profit social welfare organisation, has made arrangements to safely transport the 20 Indian fishermen to the Wagah border.

Faisal Edhi, the son of late Abdul Sattar Edhi the award winning philanthropist and social worker, said the foundation had made arrangements to send the Indian fishermen through a bus and would also give them gifts and some cash.


"They are being released from the Landhi jail in Karachi," he said.

The fishermen were arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Force (PMSF) and handed over to the dock police for allegedly illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.

Organisations working to get the poor Indian and Pakistani fishermen lodged in jails in both countries say around 600 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails after being arrested by the PMSF.

"Yes there are dozens of these poor Indian fishermen in the Landh and Malir jails," Faisal confirmed.

The jail authority also said the other 350 Indian fishermen would be released in batches once their nationalities are confirmed through the foreign office channels of both countries.

The Pakistan government last year released a number of Indian fishermen in batches as a gesture of goodwill.