Civil society members have called for immediate release of all the fishermen languishing in Pakistani and Indian jails and suggested that a buffer zone of 100 nautical miles between the territorial waters of the two countries be created in order to resolve this issue on permanent basis.
Many such recommendations were put forward by Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, ex-Senator Iqbal Haider, Chairman Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Mohammad Ali Shah and peace activist BM Kutty while addressing a press conference on the issue of Indo-Pak fishermen at the Karachi Press Club here on Wednesday.
Calling for immediate release of all fishermen, Shah said that setting up a mutual fishing zone shared by the fishermen of both the countries could serve as a permanent solution so that the fishermen were not arrested in future.
Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid called for constituting a taskforce to deal with the detained fishermen’s issue so that they should not have to languish in jails, saying, “Such a taskforce exists between Sri Lanka and India that resolves the dispute of fishermen crossing the borders”.
The speakers urged upon the maritime authorities to give nautical direction to the fishing boats found violating territorial limits instead of arresting them. They said that the process of identifying the arrested fishermen and providing them consular access should be completed in weeks instead of months and years. Besides, they added, a bilateral agreement should be signed to ensure quick repatriation of the fishermen after they complete their sentences.
According to a data, 122 Indian fishermen are languishing in Malir Jail, of whom 89 will leave for the Wagah Border on Thursday. Besides, 212 Indian fishermen were facing trial, while six convicts have been disowned by the Indian government. There are three juvenile Indian fishermen and 267 Indian boats have been lying on the Pakistani shore.
According to October 2010 statistics, around 920 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian prisons and round 165 Pakistani boats have been confiscated by the Indian authorities.
Justice Aslam said that these fishermen happen to be poor people, who earn a meagre Rs 1,500 on each fishing trip. They did not have even passports and owing to bureaucratic hurdles they are forced to spend years in jails.
He said that the confiscated boats and belongings of the fishermen should be returned to them after they were released, adding: “Hundreds of such boats are rotting at Manora and most of them are auctioned for a paltry amount of Rs 50,000 without any transparent process”.
Iqbal Haider praised the civil society of Pakistan and India for playing a vital role in the release of fishermen of both the countries.
On the occasion, he appealed for the release for an ailing Pakistani doctor Khaleel Chisty, who has been languishing in the Indian jail for the last 19 years.
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