KARACHI: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Saturday arrested 47 Indian fishermen and seized nine launches.
The Indian fishermen were arrested for fishing illegally in the Pakistani waters.
A spokesman for the PMSA said that the launches were confiscated for violating Pakistan’s costal territory. He added that PMSA vessels and fast attack boats took part in an open sea operation for the purpose. The arrested fishermen were handed over to Docks police for legal proceeding and investigation.
Earlier on January 19, as many as 17 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan Maritime Security Forces for fishing illegally in the territorial waters of the Pakistan.
In December last year and January this year, 292 Indian prisoners imprisoned in Pakistan were released by Pakistani days after the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal had announced their release in a goodwill gesture in two phases.
Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other’s territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away. A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release arrested fishermen without much delay.
Published in Daily Times, February 4th 2018.
