ISLAMABAD
Pakistan has released 198 Indian fishermen after completion of their sentences and verification of national status.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the repatriation of Indian fishermen was completed last night through Wagha border. “They had been handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah Border in Lahore,” the statement said. She said their release is in line with Pakistan’s consistent policy of not politicizing the prisoner issues and taking a humanitarian view of the matter. The fishermen were released from Malir Jail in Karachi on Thursday evening and handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah on Friday night.
Malir Jail Superintendent Nazir Tunio said they had released the first batch of Indian fishermen prisoners and two more would be released in June and July. “We released 198 prisoners on Thursday while 200 and 100 more will be released later,” he said.
Pakistan was to release 200 Indian fishermen on Thursday from Malir jail but two of them died due to illness. The two deceased fishermen have been identified as Muhammad Zulfiqar and Soma Deva. Their bodies have been kept in the Edhi Foundation mortuary as arrangements are being made to repatriate them to India. The second batch of 200 Indian fishermen will be released on June 2 and another 100 on July 3 as per the agreement between the two governments, said Saeed Baloch, secretary general of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.
