Pakistan: Going ahead with its goodwill gesture, the Pakistani authorities are preparing for the release and repatriation of 199 Indian fishermen on Friday. They were arrested for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's waters. An Indian civilian was to be repatriated with them, however, he died in a hospital in Karachi on Saturday due to an illness.
The fishermen who are currently lodged at the Landhi jail will be sent to Lahore and handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah Border on Friday.
Other fishermen died in a hospital
An Indian civilian prisoner, Zulfiqar, who was also to be repatriated with the other fishermen died in a hospital in Karachi. As per the reports, the Indian civilian died on Saturday due to an illness. "According to officials at Landhi jail the Indian prisoner had complained about high fever and chest problems and his condition deteriorated last week so he was sent to the hospital where he passed away due to apparent lung infection,” Kazi Nazir, a top police official in the jail and corrections department in Sindh said.
An official of Edhi Welfare Trust, which usually arranges for the safe transportation of these Indian fishermen to Lahore and provides other help in jails, said that Zulfiqar’s death was not a mystery as conditions in the Landhi and Malir jails are far from ideal and prisoners with poor health and chronic ailments struggle to get regular proper treatment, reported PTI.
A total of 631 Indian fishermen are present in Pakistani jails
“Prison doctors or the hospital are generally not equipped to deal with serious ailments and recommend sending the patient to hospital but sometimes it is too late,” the official said. As per the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, despite completing their prison sentences, a total of 631 Indian fishermen and one civilian prisoner are present in the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi.
In the past as well, a few Indian civilian prisoners have died in hospitals because of illnesses, as per prison authorities. A total of 654 Indian fishermen are languishing in Karachi jails while an estimated 83 Pakistani fishermen are in Indian jails. Out of the 654 Indian fishermen, 631 have completed their sentences and are awaiting repatriation. Pakistan and India regularly arrest rival fishermen for violating the maritime boundary, which is poorly marked at some points.
