86 Indian fishermen released by Pakistan

Pakistan on Sunday released 86 more Indian fishermen arrested for allegedly trespassing into its territorial waters, the second such batch freed this month in a goodwill gesture.

The 86 fishermen freed from the Malir jail in Karachi would travel to Lahore by train and be handed over Indian authorities at the Wagah border, Superintendent of Karachi's Malir prison Raja Mumtaz told PTI.

"The Edhi trust arranged for their journey to Lahore and also bid them farewell with gifts and cash," he said.

It is the second time this month that the government has released Indian fishermen in a goodwill gesture. On March 6 also, 86 Indian fishermen and a civilian prisoner, who had served nearly two and half years in the jail, were released from Landhi jail.

Rights activists say that currently, around 363 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

In two incidents last month, Pakistani authorities arrested 108 Indian fishermen and seized a total of 20 boats for what they called was illegally fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters.