Indian authorities on Saturday have handed over at least nine Pakistani fishermen and seven prisoners to Rangers at Wagha check post. According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, 16 Pakistani prisoners, whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistani authorities, were repatriated to Pakistan via Wagah border.
The statement added that the cases against nine Pakistani fishermen have been withdrawn. The prisoners, apprehended almost five months ago after straying into Indian territorial water, has been released as a goodwill gesture. The confirmation of the release came from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, which said that a total of nine fishermen detained at a prison in the Indian state of Gujarat for more than two years have been released.
"The released Pakistani fishermen were caught in June 2013 and they all originally belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," said Ghulam Rasool Sheikh, a welfare officer of the Fishermen's Cooperative Society, which looks after legal and diplomatic process for the release of Pakistani fishermen detained in India. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs terms the release a follow up to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Ufa earlier in July, during which it was agreed by the two sides to release fishermen in each other's custody, along with their boats.
Earlier, as many as 163 Indian fishermen were released by Pakistani government from District Jail Malir. Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined, and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location. Both countries also use the release of fishermen to express goodwill from time to time.
The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi agreed to a new round of peace talks when they met in Russia last month. The two sides agreed that Pakistan's national security adviser, Sartaj Aziz, would hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval on August 23 and 24. Sartaj Aziz while speaking at ASEAN Regional forum said that Pakistan wants result-oriented dialogue with India on all issues of mutual concern including the core issue of Kashmir. Aziz emphasized that Pakistan wants brotherly relations with all the neighbouring countries.