In Karachi jail since 2022, fisherman from Gujarat’s Saurashtra dies

“In the last two years, this is the eighth Indian fisherman to have died in Pakistan,” a source said. As many as 180 Indian fishermen who have completed their sentences await release from Pakistani jail, they added. “India has been continuously raising the issue of early release of prisoners with the Pakistani side,” the source said.
On Kana, the source said, “Despite completion of his sentence and confirmation of his Indian nationality, he was not released by the Pakistan authorities.”

Mumbai-based activist and journalist Jatin Desai demanded that the fisherman’s mortal remains be repatriated soon. Citing section 5 of the Agreement on Consular Access signed in May 2008 between India and Pakistan, which mandates release of prisoners within a month of their nationality being confirmed and completion of their sentences, Desai said, “He should have been released and repatriated long back. As there is no formal communication with Indian fishermen in Pakistan jails, their families in India get worried.”

As per the agreement, India and Pakistan exchange lists of prisoners on January 1 and July 1 every year.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the last list of prisoners exchanged between the two countries, shared on January 1 this year, had 49 civilian prisoners and 217 fishermen who are Indian or believed-to-be-Indian in Pakistan’s custody. On the other hand, India has 381 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen who are Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani in its custody, it added.