Karachi: Pakistan released 100 Indian fishermen as a ‘goodwill gesture’ Sunday amidst tensions between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack.
The fishermen form the first batch of 360 Indian prisoners Pakistan has announced to set free in four phases this month.
The released prisoners were taken to the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station under heavy security, where they boarded the Allama Iqbal Express for Lahore.
From Lahore, they would be taken to the Wagah Border for handover to the Indian authorities.
The prisoners were arrested for trespassing into the country’s territorial waters and violating international maritime limits.
They were given gifts and provided travel expenses by the Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare organisation in Pakistan.
Friday, Pakistan announced that it will release 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, this month in four phases, as a ‘goodwill gesture’.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the process of releasing the Indian fishermen will start April 8 when 100 prisoners will be released.
Another 100 will be released in the second phase April 15 and in the third phase April 22, another 100 will be set free. The fourth and last phase will see the release of the remaining 60 prisoners April 29.
“We are doing it as a goodwill gesture and hope that India will reciprocate it,” Faisal said while addressing his weekly briefing to the media in Islamabad Friday.
Currently, there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in India and 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, he said.
“Pakistan will release 360 Indian prisoners, of which 355 are fishermen and five are civilians,” Faisal said.
Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.
Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes years.
PTI