Dhanji Lodhari at Porbandar port seen in the last photo that taken before he was arrested in 2020. Photo: On arrangement

Bharati Solanki, a resident of Diu, weeps as she tries to share the ordeal she has been forced to undergo ever since her husband Sanjaybhai Solanki, a fisherman, was captured by Pakistan Maritime Authority in 2022.The sole breadwinner of her house since August 2022, the 32-year-old has been working as a house help around Diu. “He (Sanjay) called me on August 17, 2022, at around 4 in...

Bharati Solanki, a resident of Diu, weeps as she tries to share the ordeal she has been forced to undergo ever since her husband Sanjaybhai Solanki, a fisherman, was captured by Pakistan Maritime Authority in 2022.

The sole breadwinner of her house since August 2022, the 32-year-old has been working as a house help around Diu.

“He (Sanjay) called me on August 17, 2022, at around 4 in the evening and asked about our children, Tanish our son who was 5 then, and Hanshika our daughter was one year old. He told me he would take a week or two to return as the trawler hadn’t caught enough fish till then. He assured me it’s for the best and that he would return with enough money to last a few months,” Bharati shares.

Bharati Solanki (right) with Jayaben Chavda (extreme right).

Bharati Solanki (right) with Jayaben Chavda (extreme right).

“That was the last time I heard from him. Usually fishermen out in the sea don’t call frequently so for two weeks I did not think much of it. But after three weeks, I began to worry. He was supposed to be back by then and there was no news about his trawler’s return. For the next four weeks, I frantically asked every fisherman I knew but no one had any news about Sanjay or his trawler. It was not until December 2022 that I got to know that Sanjay and four other men of his trawler were arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Authority,” she says.

“Those two months were very difficult. I spent sleepless nights worrying and during the day searched for work to feed my children. It’s been three long years for my family. My son asks about Sanjay and every time I tell him a different story. Hansika is now three and can walk. Tanish has started school. Sanjay missed these moments,” she says breaking down.

Noticeably, since 2021, 223 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Diu have been caught after they crossed the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) and ventured into the maritime border of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea. Sanjay Solanki is one of the 180 fishermen from Gujarat and Diu languishing in Pakistan jail for about three years.

“He was the main breadwinner of the family. After his arrest, I took up the job of cleaning fish at Vanakbara port in Diu but had to quit soon. The work is very tiring and the pay is not good. I used to earn Rs 50 to Rs 150 per day depending on the amount of fish I cleaned in a day from 6 am 5 pm. I have been working as a household help since I quit the job and I manage to make Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month. But even that is not enough for us,” Bharati tells The Federal.

Bharati is one of the wives from Gujarat and Diu, under the aegis of Samast Machhimar Samaj Welfare Foundation (SMSWF), a Gujarat based organization that works for the welfare for the fishermen and their families, who has written to the Union government.

Many trawlers get caught by the Pakistan Maritime Authority for crossing International Maritime Border Line between India and Pakistan. Photo: Damayantee Dhar

Many trawlers get caught by the Pakistan Maritime Authority for crossing International Maritime Border Line between India and Pakistan. Photo: Damayantee Dhar

“According to the rules in Pakistan, the punishment for apprehended fishermen for crossing the border without a passport is three months. Around 180 of them have served more than the duration of the said punishment. The Indian government has completed their national verification yet Pakistan authorities have not begun the process to repatriate them in three years,” says Usmanbhai Serasiya, secretary of SMSWF.

“Adding to troubles of the families of fishermen, the process to communicate through letters also stopped since the pandemic. The last letter from Pakistan jail came to Porbandar in early 2020. This has left these women in dire mental state with no information about their husband for years. Fifty three of these fishermen have reportedly been in Pakistan jail since 2020,” he added.

A copy of the letter signed by wives of incarcerated fishermen.

A copy of the letter signed by wives of incarcerated fishermen.

Parvati Lodhari, a resident of Porbandar was the last among the fishermen community to receive a letter from her husband from Pakistan’s jail in February 2020. Her husband, Dhanji Lodhari, was caught by Pakistan Maritime Authority in January 2020 and has been in jail since then.

“Jai Bharat! Pakistan me har ghari tumhe yaad karta hu. Dhanji ke saath sabhi machuare thik hai yaha. Hum jaldi ghar ayege, um chinta mat karna” (Hail India! I miss you every moment in Pakistan. Dhanji and other fishermen are doing well here. I will be home soon, you don’t worry),” Parvati reads out the letter as tears roll down her eyes.

The letter has been her most prized possession since 2020. It is the only letter that her husband Dhanji Lodhari managed to write from Pakistan’s jail.

“Envelopes are sold at Rs 50 per piece in Pakistan’s jail. Dhanji did not have so much money. He managed to write only one letter,” says Parvati.

Fifty-five-year old Jayaben Chavda’s (centre) son has also been in Pakistan jail since 2022. 

Fifty-five-year old Jayaben Chavda’s (centre) son has also been in Pakistan jail since 2022. 

“I couldn’t eat for about five days. I was broken, numb and didn’t know what to do when I was informed about Dhanji’s arrest. I did not know what to tell my kids. I decided to confide in my elder son who was 10 years old then. I told my younger son who was 7 years old then that his father has gone fishing but this time it will take a while for him to return,” says 31-year-old Parvati.

Parvati, like most wives of fishermen who are arrested in international waters, was informed of the arrest by the owner of the trawler that had Dhanji as one of its group members.

“I was 19 years old and still studying in Diu when I was married to Dhanji. I was born into a a family of fishermen, so I knew the life ahead of me. We are daughters of fishermen and are married to fishermen so we are used to the hardships of managing a family while men are away at sea. But not knowing or hearing anything about the well-being of my husband for more than four years has been nerve-wracking,” she shares.

“A fisherman earns anything between Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000 depending upon his position in the trawler. The patwar (navigator) earns the most and leads the crew followed by tandels (who are responsible for throwing net and catching fish) and then there are technicians who take care of the maintenance of the trawler. My husband is a tandel,” explains Parvati.

“He had gone fishing after more than a year due to pandemic. We were already in financial crisis. It hasn’t been easy without my husband who was the sole earning member of our family. It took four months to go through the process of claiming the compensation of Rs 150 a day that (Union) government gives to the family of fishermen who are arrested. The house rent is Rs 2,500 a month and electricity is around Rs 800 a month along with cost of feeding two children and their education. I took up the job of cleaning fish at the Porbandar port for Rs 50 a day initially. Now, I earn around Rs 150-250 a day. But that is not enough. I had to borrow money and we have a debt of Rs 2 lakh now,” she adds.

Noticeably, the Gujarat government used to pay Rs 150 a day or Rs 4,500 per month to the families of fishermen arrested by the Pakistani authorities for the first time.

“The state government used to provide an allowance of Rs 150 a day for fishermen arrested for the first time only. In 2020, the same amount was raised to Rs 300. The Gujarat government did not pay any allowance if the same fisherman was caught the second time. It was considered to be an ‘intentional fault’. However, after years of protest and deputations to the fishery department, the Gujarat government in 2023 decided to pay and allowance of Rs 150 to all fishermen arrested. The compensation paid by the Gujarat government is one of the lowest in the country. Even Diu administration pays Rs 300 a day to the families whose men have been arrested in Pakistan. An amount of Rs 4,500 per month is not enough to run families for fishermen who usually earn Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000 per month depending upon the nature of work in the trawler,” Jivan Jungi, the former president of Fishermen Association of Gujarat, tells The Federal.

“Besides, if a boat or trawler is damaged, a fisherman has to take loan which is subsidised at 10 percent interest rate. We have been demanding an allowance or partial allowance for trawlers too. In 2022 state polls, both the BJP and Congress had promised a financial assistance of and daily allowance of Rs 400 to the families of fishermen from Gujarat languishing in Pakistani jails. But the BJP won and nothing happened in the matter. We have even been demanding an interest free loan or partial allowance for damaged trawlers. In Gujarat, fishermen get loans at low interest of 10% per annum but even that is too much for many fishermen. Only a handful of bigger fishermen who own multiple trawlers can afford that,” added Jungi.

Manju Charanya, wife of another fisherman from Porbandar, Paroshattam Charanya in Pakistan jail since 2022 was decorating her house on the first day of Navratri in November that year when she was informed that a boat with six or seven fishermen had been caught by the Pakistan Maritime Authorities.

“The next morning it was confirmed that it was the boat with my husband in it. The next few days were spent running between offices and getting documents ready to initiate Paroshattam’s return and claiming the compensation. My 16-year-old son dropped out of school and took up work at the Porbandar port so his two siblings could continue to study. Overnight my eldest son grew up to be the man of the family,” says 35-year-old Manju.

“It took four months for us to receive the compensation of Rs 4,500 a month. I had three kids and my old father-in-law to take care of and I did not know how to manage expenses. I took up the work of cleaning fish at the port that would pay Rs 50 or Rs 100 per day. My eldest son would do whatever work he got, like cleaning boats or repairing fishing nets as daily wage labourer. He would earn about Rs 200 a day. There were days we weren’t able to earn at all. I felt so helpless when my children slept hungry. I put on a brave face for my children while not knowing if my husband is alive or well in all these years. That’s how life has been since 2022 ,” she adds.

“My father-in-law died in 2023. My husband couldn’t see his father for one last time,” tells Manju wiping her tears.

Manju and her eldest son work two shifts a day now earning about Rs 6,000 per month while her two younger children — a 10-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter study in government school.

As per the data put before Rajya Sabha in 2022, the number of fishermen from Gujarat captured mid-sea by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has risen by 88% in the past six years. As per the data shared by Paroshattam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, 225 Gujarati fishermen were arrested by Pakistan in 2017. The number rose to 425 by June 2024.

“The rapid industrialisation along the coastline in Gujarat has destroyed marine ecology, with fish moving towards deeper waters near Pakistan and Iran maritime borders. If the fishermen don’t come back with fish, they will be out of business. No trawler owner is willing to hire a tandel who doesn’t come back with a good catch,” says Madhubhni Soneri, a social activist who works for the development of the fishermen community in Porbandar.

Fifty-five-year old Jayaben Chavda’s only son has also been in Pakistan jail since 2022. Her son was a technician in the same trawler where Paroshattam Charanya was employed as a tandel.

“My son Alpesh was 28 when he got arrested. He had married in 2020 and his wife Arati was pregnant when Alpesh was caught. She delivered a son who is around 2.5 years now and Alpesh has not seen his son’s face yet,” Jayaben says.

“I thought of taking up fish cleaning to earn but it is hectic at my age so I started sewing quilts out of old saris. People give me the materials and I get Rs 100 to Rs 150 for sewing one quilt depending upon the size. I could sew about seven- eight quilts a month but my eyes hurt now and I can’t keep up with the sewing,” she adds.

Thirty-three-year old Arti has been the sole-earner of the family since her husband’s arrest. “I work as a cook in households and in weddings in Diu but I am still unable to meet the monthly expenses. I have a toddler and an ailing mother-in-law to take care of and we have a debt of over Rupees 1 lakh,” says Arti.

“I pray to Harshadi Mata.. Dariya nu Devi (goddess of the sea) every day for my husband’s safe return. What else can I do? I haven’t heard from him in years. I don’t know where or how he has been since 2022. There has been no information about my husband since his arrest. Over these years, some organizations have reached out and had us sign a letter that will help early release of the fishermen. That’s what they say.. I hope they are right,” she says.

Process of prisoner exchange

The India-Pakistan Agreement on Consular Access, signed in 2008, requires the two countries to exchange lists of fishermen and civilian prisoners in each other’s jails twice every year in January 1 and July 1.

The process of exchanging prisoners then starts with the High Commission of India in Islamabad and High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi seeking consular access from each governments about the arrested nationals of their country.

Both countries then request to expedite the release and repatriation the nationals and ensure the safety and welfare of them.

As per the last lists exchanged on 1 July 2024, Pakistan authorities acknowledged the custody of 223 Indian fishermen out which two fishermen have reportedly died since the exchange of the list. However, the names of the dead fishermen have not been revealed by Pakistan authorities.

Noticeably, the exchange of prisoners between both countries was stopped due to pandemic between 2019 and 2021. Post the pandemic and lifting of band on international travel, Indian government resumed the process of sending the Pakistani prisoners in 2022.

However, Pakistan is yet to resume the process post pandemic. Meanwhile, families of fishermen back in India continue to wait and suffer.

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