80 Indian fishermen released by Pak govt handed over to BSF at Wagah border

Amritsar, Nov 11 (PTI) Eighty Indian fishermen who were recently released from a jail in Pakistan have been handed over to BSF authorities at the Attari-Wagah border here, officials said on Saturday.

The Pakistan government on Thursday released 80 Indian fishermen from the Malir jail in Karachi.

Punjab police protocol officer Arun Mahal said all the prisoners crossed over to India on Friday night through the land transit route of the Attari-Wagah border through the 'Emergency Travel Certificate' issued by the Indian High Commission based at Islamabad.

After their repatriation, the medical examination of the fishermen was conducted by a team of Indian doctors, said Mahal, who was posted at the Joint Check post (JCP) of the Attari-Wagah border.

The fishermen were held three years ago after their boats slipped into Pakistan through territorial waters in the Arabian Sea, Mahal said. The moment they crossed over to India on Friday, the fishermen bowed down and touched the earth in respect, he added.

Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined. Many fishing boats lack the required technology to ascertain their precise location. PTI