Families Seek Release Of 178 Indian Fishermen In Pakistan Jails Ahead Of Independence Day

Families of Indian fishermen held in Pakistani jails have urged both governments to release and repatriate 178 fishermen who have completed their sentences and whose Indian nationality has been confirmed.

The appeal came ahead of India’s Independence Day on August 15 and Pakistan’s on August 14. The National Fishworkers Forum, Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy and families of the prisoners made the appeal at a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Pakistan currently has 198 Indian fishermen in custody, according to the prisoner list exchanged by India and Pakistan on July 1. India has 53 Pakistani or suspected Pakistani fishermen in its jails.

Of the 198 Indians, 178 have completed their sentences, but remain in Pakistan. The groups said this goes against the spirit of the 2008 Consular Access Agreement, which calls for prisoners to be released and repatriated within a month after their nationality is confirmed and their sentence is completed.

The Indian government also raised the issue with Pakistan in July. The Ministry of External Affairs sought the release and repatriation of 188 Indian fishermen and civil prisoners who had completed their sentences. India also asked Pakistan to give consular access to 13 people believed to be Indian nationals.

The families want the India Pakistan Judicial Committee on Prisoners revived. The committee last met in 2013. Activists also said letters from fishermen in Pakistani jails have stopped reaching their families since 2020.

The issue has hit Gujarat particularly hard. 144 of the 198 fishermen are from the state. Gujarat gives their families Rs 300 a day in financial support. Activists have asked the government to raise it to Rs 500.

Families also spoke about years of pain. Jiviben Solanki of Diu said her granddaughter was born after her son Vishal was jailed in 2021 and has never seen her father. Jignesh Rathod, 25, said he left his BCom course to support his family after his father was jailed.

India says 2,661 Indian fishermen and 78 civil prisoners have been brought back from Pakistan since 2014. The government said 500 fishermen were repatriated from 2023 onwards. The groups have urged both governments to make the release of eligible fishermen a humanitarian gesture ahead of their Independence Days.