Pakistan arrests 28 Indian fishermen for violating maritime boundary
The arrested fishermen have been handed over to the Docks police.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – At least 28 Indian fishermen were apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency on Friday for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters.
Reportedly, the PMSA carried detained Indian fishermen during an operation in the open sea and seized five of their boats. The arrested fishermen have been handed over to the Docks police for further legal action.
Earlier on December 14, Pakistani authorities arrested 43 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing illegally in the country’s territorial waters. Seven boats of the fishermen were also seized.
About 144 Indian fishermen have been arrested in over a month by the PMSF for alleged illegal fishing in Pakistani waters.
In November about 133 Indian fishermen were arrested and at least 17 boats were seized by the PMSF.
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.
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.
Both countries also use the release of fishermen to express goodwill from time to time.
