Pakistan detains 66 Indian fishermen
Maritime Security Agency (MSA) said the fishermen had strayed into Pakistani waters.
KARACHI (Web Desk / AFP) – Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency has detained seventy Indian fishermen with their 11 boats for violating territorial waters in the Arabian Sea on Monday, Dunya News reported.
The agency said the fishermen had strayed into Pakistani waters. They will be handed over to Docks police in Karachi.
According to Indian media, the fishermen are from the Saurashtra region. Reportedly, over 150 fishermen and more than 30 fishing trawlers have been apprehended by the Maritime Security Agency near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in last three months.
Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined, and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location.
Both countries also use the release of fishermen to express goodwill from time to time.
The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time.
