KARACHI: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) arrested 28 Indian fishermen and seized their five boats from the Arabian Sea for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters.
Rasheed Ahmed, a police officer at the Docks police station, said that the Indian fishermen were arrested by the PMSA for fishing illegally in Pakistan’s territorial waters.
“They have now been handed over to the Docks police station, and cases are being registered against them, after which they will be presented in court.” Ahmed said.
Shanti Tappu, one of the arrested fishermen, said that their boat was caught up in a storm and that’s how they ended up unknowingly in Pakistani waters. He appealed to the Indian government to release Pakistani fishermen detained there so that the move is reciprocated and they are released.
Every year dozens of Indian and Pakistani fishermen are picked up in the Arabian Sea after straying across maritime borders.
They often languish in prison even after serving their sentences, as poor diplomatic relations between the bitter nuclear foes hamper the bureaucracy.
