Pakistan releases 198 Indian fishermen

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday released 198 Indian fishermen after completion of their sentences and verification of national status.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the repatriation of Indian fishermen was completed last night through Wagha border.

The spokesperson further said, “their release is in line with our consistent policy of not politicizing the prisoner issues and taking a humanitarian view of the matter.”

Earlier, Pakistani authorities decided to release 500 Indian prisoners, 499 of them fishermen, who have completed their jail terms.

Indian prisoners will be released from jails in phases. Two hundred prisoners will be released from Malir District Jail today and will be sent to Lahore.

Edhi Foundation will facilitate travel of the released Indian prisoners to Lahore by train which will be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border on Friday (tomorrow).

Another batch of 200 Indian fishermen will be released from Karachi jails on June 02 for repatriation to India.

The third batch of 100 Indian prisoners will be released from jails on July 03 for repatriation to their home country.

The fishermen end up to jails of two neighboring countries after being arrested for allegedly violating the marine borders of Pakistan and India.

Pakistan and India regularly arrest each other’s fishermen for violating the maritime boundary, which is poorly marked