CHANDIGARH: The Pakistani authorities handed the Border Security Force 200 Indian fishermen at the Joint Check Post (JCP) at the Attari-Wagah border, after the neighbouring country released them.
Sources said all Indian fishermen, who were issued emergency travel certificates by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, crossed over to India around 1 am on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday through the land transit route of the Attari-Wagah border.
The moment they stepped onto the Indian soil, the fishermen bowed and kissed the land. A team of doctors conducted the medical examination of the fishermen following their repatriation. These fishermen were released from a jail in Karachi and were brought to Lahore by the Edhi Foundation. They bore their travel cost and were handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah JCP. These fishermen were arrested by the Pakistani authorities after their boats allegedly strayed into Pakistan through territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.
Sources said Pakistan might release another batch of Indian fishermen in July as a goodwill gesture. Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that their country will release 200 Indian fishermen and two civilian prisoners. “Earlier, 198 Indian fishermen were repatriated on May 12, 2023. This is in line with Pakistan’s policy of not politicizing humanitarian matters,” Bilawal tweeted.