Islamabad: At least 88 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistani Maritime Security Agency (MSA) reportedly for fishing in the country’s waters, an official said on Sunday.
“The Indian fishermen were arrested while they were fishing in Pakistani waters of the Arabian Sea on Saturday,” Dawn online quoted a police official as saying.
The MSA has also seized 16 fishing boats, the official said, adding that the police had registered a case against them under Sections 3/4 of the Foreign Act and 3/9 of the Fishery Act.
The arrest of Indian fishermen came as the third such incident in three months after the two countries agreed in December 2015 to reinitiate the dialogue process during Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan.
The release and exchange of fishermen had come to a halt from the two sides for the past several months causing concern among the families of their arrested loved ones on both sides of the border.