Representative image of person in jail.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mumbai: The Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD) along with the Fisher Peoples’ Unions (FPUs) have demanded the immediate release of Indian and Pakistani fishermen who have been incarcerated in each other’s jails for crossing maritime boundaries.
As of date 193 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistan’s Malir jail and about 33 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in different Indian jails.
Altogether 246 Indian civilian prisoners are in Pakistan jails and 363 civilian Pakistani persons are in Indian jails.
At an online press conference, senior journalist and campaigner on the issue, Jatin Desai (Mumbai), the PIPFPD Pak chapter convener Mohd Tahseen (Lahore), Pakistan Fisherfolk leader Saeed Baloch (Karachi), and community leaders from Gujarat and Diu, including Chagan bhai, Balubhai and Jivan Jungi, formally made the demand.
Family members of the imprisoned fishermen who are languishing in Pakistan jails also addressed the media from Porbandar, Diu, Una and other affected areas on the Indian side of water boundaries.
The online PC was moderated by Vijayan MJ, General Secretary of PIPFPD India chapter, who also gave an opening briefing on the issue to the media.
Their demand is immediate release of Indian and Pakistani fishermen and other civilian prisoners who have completed their legal sentencing for Passports Act violation, or any other relevant charges. Many such prisoners who have spent more than 6-8 times their actual sentences be immediately released, they said.
"Immediate resumption and rejuvenation of the Joint Judicial Committee mechanism to prevent abuses on fisher and civilian prisoners. The Joint Judicial Committee mechanism was created by the Foreign Ministries of India and Pakistan in 2008, but have been made inactive and irrelevant by governmental withdrawal since October 2013, when the last the meeting was held in India,” they said.
"India and Pakistan must immediately work together to reach a practical solution in order to protect the lives and livelihoods of the traditional fishing community. We demand that a ‘No Arrest Policy’ be reached in the interim and both countries work towards a permanent maritime economic cooperation agreement, to save the fishers from harassment and torture,” they said.