Pakistan releases 163 Indian fishermen as goodwill gesture

Pakistan releases 163 Indian fishermen (Pic courtesy: ANI)

Karachi: Pakistan on Sunday released 163 Indian fishermen, including three minors, from two jails here as a goodwill gesture following a recent understanding between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Russia.

The fishermen freed from the Landhi and Malir jails here includes an 11-year-old boy, a Sindh government official said.

The fishermen will travel to Lahore from Cantt station in Karachi and will be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border tomorrow, the official said.

The released fishermen were given gifts and cash by welfare agencies and the provincial government to assist them in their return to India.

The detained fishermen were set free as a goodwill gesture following the last month's meeting between the prime ministers of two countries in Ufa, Russia, the official added.

The two sides had decided to release fishermen in each other's custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days, addressing one of the major humanitarian issues between them.

According to the latest list exchanged by the two sides, there were 355 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails and 27 Pakistani fishermen lodged in Indian jails.