100 Indian fishermen to be handed over to India today

LAHORE: Allama Iqbal Express with released 100 Indian fishermen reached Lahore on Monday to be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah Border crossing today, ARY News reported.

Pakistan on Sunday released 100 Indian fishermen from Karachi Jail as a goodwill gesture.

The fishermen had been arrested over trespassing into Pakistani waters by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).

The released Indian fishermen were taken to the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station, where they boarded the Allama Iqbal Express for Lahore yesterday.

The government had earlier decided to release overall 360 Indian prisoners in April. After the first batch of 100 prisoners, remaining 260 fishermen will be released in phases.

The Foreign Office in Islamabad had announced to release 360 Indian prisoners this month.

“Pakistan has decided that 360 Indian prisoners – having breakup of 355 fishermen and five civilians, who have completed their term of sentence, will be released,” Mohammad Faisal, spokesman for the Pakistan Foreign Office, had told reporters on April 6.

He said the prisoners would be released in four batches starting from April 8.

Due to tense relations between the two sides, prisoners who complete their jail terms often languish in each other’s jails for months, if not years, afterwards.

According to the lists exchanged by both sides in January, there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails, 249 of whom are what the spokesman described as civilians and 98 fishermen.

There are 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, 483 of whom are fishermen. “We hope that India will reciprocate this gesture,” the foreign office spokesman said.