198 fishermen released from Pakistan arrive in Gujarat’s Vadodara, welcomed by agriculture minister

Earlier in the day, the fishermen arrived in Vadodara on board Amritsar-Kochuveli Express from Amritsar in Punjab around 5 am. As they deboarded the two train coaches exclusively booked for them, Patel received the fishermen by garlanding them. The minister was also accompanied by BJP MLA Keyur Rokadia, BJP leader Vijay Shah, Vadodara collector Atul Gor and Fisheries Commissioner Nitin Sangwan, among others.

Of the 198 fishermen released by Pakistan, 184 are from Gujarat, five from Maharashtra, four from the Union Territory of Diu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and two are from Uttar Pradesh. (Express Photo)

“The train was originally scheduled to arrive in Vadodara at 1 am Monday. However, it was running four hours late and reached Vadodara at around 5 am,” an officer of fisheries department said, adding, “The Agriculture Minister had reached Vadodara Sunday evening itself to welcome the fishermen.”

According to an official release from the Gujarat government, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel and Union Minister Parsottam Rupala were in constant touch with the Central government for securing the release of the Gujarati fishermen.

This is the first batch of fishermen to be released and repatriated from Pakistan in about a year after 20 fishermen were released in June, 2022.

Originally, 199 fishermen and a civilian prisoner were to be released from the Landi jail. However, the civilian prisoner and a Gujarati fisherman died on May 6 and May 8 respectively. Therefore, only 198 fishermen walked out of the jail and were handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah border near Amritsar Friday.

Of the 198 fishermen, 184 are from Gujarat, five from Maharashtra, four from the Union Territory of Diu located off the Gir Somnath coast, three from Andhra Pradesh and two from Uttar Pradesh. Of the 184 Gujarat fishermen of Gujarat, 152 are native of Gir Somnath, 22 from Devbhumi Dwarka, five from Porbandar and one each from Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kutch, Valsad and Navsari, the government release stated.

Gujarat Agriculture Minister addresses the Indian fishermen released from Pakistan. (Express Photo)

From Vadodara, the fishermen boarded four Veraval-bound buses arranged by the state fisheries department. “The buses halted at Kidivav village in Gir Somnath for police verification. From there, the buses took them to Veraval town where they were handed over to the owners of the fishing boats on board which they were working while being caught by Pakistan. Eventually, they were reunited with their family members Monday evening,” a fisheries department officer said.

Pakistan has decided to release 499 of the 654 Indian fishermen languishing in its jails. The 198 fishermen is the first of the three batches to be released. The second and third batches of 100 fishermen each are scheduled to be released on June 2 and July 3 respectively.

India and Pakistan have disagreements over the alignment of the notional International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency arrests a few hundred Indian fishermen every year for alleged violation of its territorial waters. The Indian agencies also arrest a few dozen Pakistani fishermen for allegedly crossing over to the Indian side of the IMBL.

As on January 1, there were 654 Indian fishermen and 51 Indian civilians in the Pakistan custody. Similarly, there were 99 Pakistani fishermen and 339 Pakistani civilians in India’s custody.

According to Jantin Desai, the former general secretary of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), of the 654 fishermen, 631 had completed their prison terms by April and their nationalities have also been verified.

Similarly, a majority of Pakistani fishermen, too, have completed their time in Indian jails. Activists from both the countries have long been demanding a no-arrest policy with respect to fishermen violating territorial waters.

Following Pakistan’s decision to release 499 Indian fishermen, the former PIPFPD general secretary demanded that India also reciprocate by releasing Pakistani fishermen being held in Indian prisons.