Pakistan released 200 Indian fisherman from a prison in Karachi on Friday, saying they will be handed over to Indian officials at the Wagah border following “due process.” The fishermen were released from the Malir Prison in Karachi as part of the Pakistani government’s decision to hand over 500 imprisoned fishermen to Indian authorities. Last month, Pakistani officials released 198 Indian fishermen who had been imprisoned in Karachi for allegedly fishing illegally in the country’s waters. At the Wagah border, they were turned over to India. “We released 200 Indian fishermen in the second batch, and another 100 will be released in July,” Malir jail superintendent Nazir Tunio said.
Edhi humanitarian foundation has arrived in Lahore. “In Lahore, they are scheduled to be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border after due process,” Tunio said. Saeed Baloch, General Secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, expressed relief at the release of the second batch of Indian fishermen. “These are poor Indian fishermen who are detained because they enter Pakistani territorial waters to fish and earn a living.” They cannot be faulted because there is no clear demarcation line in the Arabian Sea between the two countries and they lack the technology on their boats,” he said. On July 3, he added, a third batch of 100 Indian fisherman would be released.
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