560 fishermen from Gujarat languishing in Pakistani jails: Government tells Assembly

As many as 560 fishermen from Gujarat are languishing in jails in Pakistan, the state government told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

Almost half of them (274) were apprehended by Pakistan in the last two years, said Gujarat State Fisheries Minister Raghavji Patel. He was responding to a question by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar during Question Hour. As many as 193 fishermen were apprehended in 2021 while 81 were caught in 2022, the minister said.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency regularly apprehends fishermen from Gujarat accusing them of entering Pakistani waters by crossing the notional International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) in the Arabian sea.


The Gujarat government has submitted required documents and proof of nationality of these fishermen to the Ministry of Home Affairs in the last two years to get them released from Pakistani jails, Patel said.