After spending time in Karachi's prison, 22 Indian fishermen have been released by Pakistan on Saturday. The released fishermen were handed over to Indian officials at the Wagah Border. The Edhi Foundation organized a special bus to transport them from Karachi to Lahore. Among those freed from Pakistan's prison were Bhupat, Mala, Krishna, Khalaf, Mohan, Asif, Ashok, Akbar, Lakhman, Moji, Deepak, Ram, Hari, Tapu, Suresh, Vijay, Manoj Kumar, Vinu, Mahesh, Subhash, Sanjay, and Selendhar.
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Earlier, Malir (Karachi) Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah informed the media that the Indian fishermen were released upon completing their sentences. They were apprehended for inadvertently straying into Pakistan's territorial waters. Due to unclear maritime boundaries, fishermen from both nations often face arrests. Faisal Edhi, head of the Edhi Foundation, urged both countries to show sensitivity towards fishermen mistakenly crossing the maritime border.
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According to the latest prisoner exchange list shared on January 1, 2025, between India and Pakistan, there were 266 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, including 49 civilians and 217 fishermen, while India had 462 Pakistani prisoners, comprising 381 civilians and 81 fishermen. In a Lok Sabha response on December 12, 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that a total of 2639 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. The Ministry of External Affairs reported that by July 1, 2024, out of 209 fishermen in Pakistan's custody, 51 were detained since 2021; 130 since 2022; 9 since 2023; and 19 fishermen since 2024 in Pakistani jails.
