JOIN USThe 100 Indians, including two teenagers, were part of the first batch of 442 Indian fishermen being released by Pakistan after rights activists fought a legal battle in the Supreme Court there against their unlawful detention.
The fishermen, all of them belonging to Gujarat, were arrested over two years ago for allegedly straying into Pakistan's territorial waters.
Many still appeared to be in a state of shock after being released by Pakistan at the Attari border, unable to come to terms with the fact that their nightmare has finally ended.
"It was like living in a hell," a fisherman said, adding there were no medical facilities available for Indians in the prisons.
Only in a rare case, medical aid was provided, he said.
The prisoners were released from Malir jail in Karachi and the rest will be freed in the next few days, said an official at Attari border.
Pakistani authorities issued orders for the release of the 442 fishermen on August 28.
At the last hearing on August 26, the apex court asked the federal interior ministry to explain why 456 Indian fishermen were held in several jails in Sindh even after they had completed their prison terms.
The fishermen were under detention at four places — district jail Malir, and juvenile jail in Karachi; Nara jail Hyderabad; district jail Badin and district jail Naushehro Feroze of Pakistan.
The next batch of 100 fishermen will leave Malir prison for India on September 2.The third batch of 101 prisoners will leave on September 4 while the last batch of 141 prisoners will leave on September 6.