Pakistan today released 26 Indian fishermen from Karachi’s Malir jail as a goodwill gesture, media reports said.
They had been arrested by the authorities here for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan’s territorial waters.
The fishermen were shifted to Cantt Railway Station and will be taken to Lahore from there they would be sent to India through Wagah border, The Nation news reported.
The released fishermen were presented with gifts and cash prizes by the jail authorities, the report said.
The Indian prisoners said that upon reaching India, they will request the Indian authorities to release Pakistani prisoners in reciprocation.
Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.
Owing to lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months.
A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release the arrested fishermen without delay. PTI