Pakistan frees over 200 Indian Fishermen as goodwill gesture

Pakistan government today repatriated 218 Indian fishermen through the border in Punjab, two days after their release from jails as a goodwill gesture. All the prisoners crossed over to India around 1.00 am through the land transit route of Attari - Wagah (Pakistan side) border on the basis of 'Emergency Travel Certificates' issued by the Indian High Commission at Islamabad, a BSF spokesman said. Pakistan had announced their release on Thursday bringing the total number of Indian fishermen freed from Pakistani jails as "goodwill gesture" in the last 12 days to 439, despite the chill in bilateral ties.
They were arrested a year ago when their boasts slipped into Pakistan through territorial waters in Arabian Sea. They were caught by the Pakistani coast guards on the charge of illegal fishing while violating its territorial waters. The moment, fishermen crossed over to India, they humbly bowed down their forehead and kissed the motherland with passion. At that time many fishermen were seen with moist eyes.
Poor fishermen from both countries routinely find themselves arrested for illegal fishing as there is no clear demarcation of the boundaries between the two countries in the Arabian sea near Sir Creek, and lack of technology has made life difficult for the fishermen.