Indian coastal authorities have seized a Pakistani boat bearing No B-15769 and arrested seven crews from the open sea late Sunday night.
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said the names of arrested fishermen include Abu Salam, Mohammed Yousuf, Mohammed Ismail, Mohammed Naim, Abdul Latif, Shabaz and another whose name could not be ascertained yet.
All the fishermen belong to Arkanabad, Bin Qasim Town, Karachi. The boat left the local jetty a week ago and was seized by the Indian forces on Sunday night, said a PFF spokesman.
After the arrest of seven fishermen the number of Pakistani fishermen languishing in Indian jails reached to 135 while 299 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails.
PFF condemned the incident saying despite claims by the Pakistan and Indian governments to resolve theissue of fishermen through dialogue, no positive step has been taken so far.
The spokesman said they have written several letters to higher authorities in Pakistan and approached civil society organizations of both the sides, Pakistan and India, demanding to avoid arresting poor fishermen, but the authorities could not pay heed to the issue. This has created further uncertainty among the fishermen, who depend on fishing and now many of them are reluctant to go to open sea due tofear.
He said the fishermen of both the sides are being arrested from the invisible border in the open sea. He said irony is that mostly these fishermen are caught during the nighttime, while they after harvesting go to sleep. The PFF has demanded to ensure safe release of fishermen and remove the uncertainty among the community people.
Source: PPI
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said the names of arrested fishermen include Abu Salam, Mohammed Yousuf, Mohammed Ismail, Mohammed Naim, Abdul Latif, Shabaz and another whose name could not be ascertained yet.
All the fishermen belong to Arkanabad, Bin Qasim Town, Karachi. The boat left the local jetty a week ago and was seized by the Indian forces on Sunday night, said a PFF spokesman.
After the arrest of seven fishermen the number of Pakistani fishermen languishing in Indian jails reached to 135 while 299 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails.
PFF condemned the incident saying despite claims by the Pakistan and Indian governments to resolve theissue of fishermen through dialogue, no positive step has been taken so far.
The spokesman said they have written several letters to higher authorities in Pakistan and approached civil society organizations of both the sides, Pakistan and India, demanding to avoid arresting poor fishermen, but the authorities could not pay heed to the issue. This has created further uncertainty among the fishermen, who depend on fishing and now many of them are reluctant to go to open sea due tofear.
He said the fishermen of both the sides are being arrested from the invisible border in the open sea. He said irony is that mostly these fishermen are caught during the nighttime, while they after harvesting go to sleep. The PFF has demanded to ensure safe release of fishermen and remove the uncertainty among the community people.
Source: PPI
