Pak releases 37 Indian fishermen

Released in two batches, these boats and fishermen reached Okha port late last night, owner of one of the released boats 'Shankhnad' Dhansukh Gonsiya told PTI tonight.
"It is perhaps for the first time, the PMSA has shown such a nice gesture of releasing all the fishermen and their boats," he said.

Gonsiya said quoting captain of his boat Shamji Tandel that PMSA officials treated them nicely during their two-day stay on the ship and provided them food before sending them back.

The PMSA officers did not take the fishermen to Karachi port as they were convinced that they had strayed into Pakistani waters due to strong currents and the foray was not intentional, he said.

However, PMSA officers took away GPS devices, DVDs and other equipment installed on the boats besides 500 kgs of fish caught from the sea, Gonsiya said.

All these fishermen were interrogated by various authorities at Okha port before permitting them to go to their native villages across Gujarat and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, Gonsiya said.