Karachi: Prison authorities in Karachi on Friday released 45 Indian fishermen, who set off to Lahore from where they were expected to cross into India through the Wagha border post.
The release of the fishermen followed caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso’s orders last week to extend a goodwill gesture to India.
Ansar Burni Trust, a non-government organisation (NGO) arranged a bus to transport the fishermen to Lahore, about a 24-hour drive from Karachi.
“We have released the fishermen today and Ansar Burny has made arrangements for their travel to Lahore from where they could go to their homes,” Suni Shah, a senior jail official told Gulf News.
The fishermen were earlier given a farewell by the trust officials and fellow inmates.
Marine security forces of Pakistan and India regularly detain fishermen who stray into their respective maritime limits in the Arabian Sea.
With the release of the 45 fishermen, there are still 430 Indian fishermen left in the Landhi district jail, whereas 496 Pakistani prisoners are being held in India.
Pakistan last week said it would release Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds, but expressed the hope that New Delhi would reciprocate the goodwill gesture.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Khoso, according to a statement from his office. The prime minister expressed the hope that the Indian government will “reciprocate the gesture” and release Pakistani prisoners held in Indian jails, the statement said.
