Karachi, Nov 04: Pakistan today released 74 Indian fishermen in a fresh bid to boost the slow-paced peace process between the rival South Asian neighbours, officials said. "We have released all 74 Indian fishermen," Commander of Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (MSA) Sibte Hassan told reporters.
"It is an important step taken by the government of Pakistan to promote peace in the region," he said at a formal repatriation ceremony held aboard MSA ship Nazim.
The ship later escorted the released fishermen and their 23 boats to Indian waters.
Welcoming the move, Captain R B Pandit of the Indian embassy told reporters here that India would also release 93 Pakistani fishermen later today.
A foreign ministry statement last week said the gesture was part of Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali's May 06 peace package in response to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's offer to normalise ties with Pakistan.
This was the second batch of Indian fishermen released by Pakistan since Jamali responded positively to the overture by Vajpayee in April.
Pakistan freed 269 Indian fishermen in September, two years after they were detained from the Arabian Sea after straying into Pakistani territorial waters.
Bureau Report