Pakistan Arrests 66 Indian Fishermen, Seizes 10 Fishing Boats

KARACHI: Pakistan today said it had arrested 66 Indian fishermen and seized 10 fishing boats for allegedly fishing in the country’s territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) handed over the Indian fishermen who were arrested on Sunday to the docks police for further prosecution.

The fishermen were in Pakistan’s territorial waters and despite warnings did not turn back and were arrested and their boats seized, a PMSA spokesman said.

India and Pakistan regularly arrest fishermen who stray in to each other’s waters due to a poorly marked sea boundary and according to figures they are around 400 Indian fishermen presently lodged in jails in Karachi.

In the past the two nations have released the fishermen as goodwill gestures and the Pakistan government last August released around 163 Indian fishermen including some minors.

PTI