Vadodara, Aug 05: Pakistan government has agreed to release all the 343 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails for the past one-and-a-half years, according to Gujarat Fisheries Advisory Board (GFAB) sources. A six-member Indian delegation, led by Veljibhai Masani, Director of GFAB, is camping in Pakistan for the release of the fishermen and their 59 seized boats, the sources said.
Earlier, Pakistan had decided to release 269 Indian fishermen along with their 41 seized boats. But after intervention by the delegation, the concerned Pakistani authorities have agreed to release the remaining 74 fishermen also on humanitarian ground, the sources said.
The fishermen were eager to reach home to attend the Raksha Bandhan festival and Independence Day celebrations next week. However, the repair of the boats would take some time, they said.

Meanwhile, the fisheries department of the Gujarat government has come out with an action plan to prevent fishermen from the state straying into the territorial waters of Pakistan, official sources said.
The action plan was initiated following frequent detention of Indian fishermen by the Pakistani Marine Security Agency.
Union Rural Development Minister Kashiram Rana had earlier requested External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha to make efforts for early release of the fishermen.
Rana had said that release of the captured fishermen would help in normalisation of relations between the two countries.
Bureau Report