22 Indian fishermen arrested for violating maritime boundaries

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Friday arrested 22 Indian fishermen for illegal fishing in territorial waters of the country and seized their three boats, ARY News reported.

The arrests were made by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

The PMSA spokesman said the fishermen were arrested for illegal fishing in Pakistan’s territorial waters. He said that they were handed over to Docks Police for legal inquiry.

In August, at least nine Pakistani fishermen were taken into custody by Indian Coast Guard after they allegedly crossed over to the Indian territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.The crew and boat were escorted to Okha port and were handed over to local Marine Police for further investigation.

The arrests came a week after Pakistan released 26 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture before formation of the new government.

Pakistan and India routinely arrest fishermen on charges of entering each other’s waters as the maritime boundaries between the two countries were poorly defined and many fishing boats lack technologies on locating their precise places.

These arrested fishermen languish in jails of the other country often for years.