It was a homecoming that no one here will forget for a long time. The tears flowed unchecked at Okha port on Sunday morning: A mother hugged her son, a teenager touched his father’s feet, a woman hugged her brother — all were among the 257 fishermen who had returned from Pakistan. But for some, the wait continues as the crew of the two boats is still missing.The crowd of family members and well-wishers had been swelling at Okha port all morning. And when Marine Mirage, carrying 10 fishermen, reached the port, the relief was as apparent in the air as was the salt. Trailing behind Marine Mirage was Padmini Krupa, and within two hours 28 boats carrying 257 fishermen had reached Okha. However, for the families of the crew of two boats, Dhanprashad and Subhas Sagar, the wait seems endless.Secretary Fisheries Anil Patel said: ‘‘The boats may have strayed due to engine trouble.’’ Meanwhile, relatives lined up as the fishermen were cleared by Customs, Navy, Fisheries and Medical Departments.The travel-weary fishermen couldn’t help a smile when their feet touched Indian soil. Even the 24-hour delay in reaching home didn’t dampen their spirits. ‘‘I’m with my family, what else can I ask for,’’ Ramu Jiva, a crew member of Shindeshwari, said. ‘‘I forgot all my grief the moment I saw my son,’’ Dhir, who stepped off Marine Mirage, said. The boats and crew members were handed over to Indian Coast Guard by Pakistani authorities on Friday night. The engines of half the boats were not functioning, and they had to be towed. Coast Guard ship Trabai escorted the boats from the international border line (IBL).All the fishermen wanted to do was erase the last few months from memory. ‘‘The jail was overcrowded. Forget about proper water and food, sometimes it was difficult to breathe,’’ Mohan Deva, a crew member of Tulsi, said.Meanwhile, agony was writ large on Maaniben Jiva and Rijiben Harjee’s faces. The former still does not have any clue about the whereabouts of her husband and son, while the latter has no idea about where her son is. Both were among the 12 crew members of the two missing boats. ‘‘Others have come. So they will arrive too,’’ Maaniben said, adding: ‘‘They may have lost their way in rough seas.’’ Deputy Director (Fisheries), Veraval, H.B. Dave said: ‘‘No information is available of these two boats. Hence, nothing can be said for sure at this moment.’’ Both India and Pakistan have pressed into service an aircraft and a ship to locate the missing 12 fishermen.According to Okha Coastguard Commandant K. Roy, a Coastguard aircraft has been patrolling the seas to locate the boats since Friday. Dave said they were not sure whether the fishermen’s boats had crossed the IBL. ‘‘If they have not, it would become more difficult for us to locate them as our aircraft cannot fly in Pakistani airspace,’’ he said.
