Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have
arrested 26 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the
country's maritime boundary, an official spokesman said
on Thursday.
The fishermen were apprehended with six boats late last
night for violating Pakistan's territorial waters, the
spokesman of the Maritime Security Agency said.
They were handed over to police in Karachi, he said.
Pakistan and India arrest dozens of fishermen every year
for violating the maritime boundary. Many of them languish in
prison for years even after completing jail terms given to
them.
Islamabad had recently repatriated 12 Indian prisoners,
including 11 fishermen who had been held in a jail in Karachi
for nearly three years even after completing their prison
terms.
Another 442 Indian fishermen were freed last year after
two Pakistani NGOs petitioned the Supreme Court for their
release.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 10, 2011, 21:57