Karachi: Nearly 10 days after releasing 60 prisoners from India as a goodwill gesture amidst tension after the Pulwama terror attack, 34 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the neighbouring nation Pakistan for allegedly violating country’s territorial waters confirmed officials today.
The arrested fishermen were handed over to the police after their arrest on Tuesday said Pakistan Maritime Security Agency spokesman said.
“They will appear before a judicial magistrate who will decide on their judicial remand,” he added.
In the month of January, 5 Gujrati fishermen were arrested and jailed by the maritime security agency.
Last month, on April 29, Pakistan had released 55 Indian fishermen and five civilians as a “goodwill gesture” and an additional 250 Indian fishermen from Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi.
The Pakistan Foreign Ministry had previously announced the release of 360 Indian fishermen in four separate batches in April as a goodwill gesture.
The two nations frequently arrest fishermen for violating the territorial waters as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea while these poor fishermen have no technology to know their precise location.
The arrested fishermen remain in jail sometimes for several months or even years owing to slow legal proceedings.
According to the list of prisoners exchanged by India and Pakistan in January, there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails, 249 of whom are described as civilians and 98 fishermen, the report said.