Civil society organisations urge PM Modi, Imran Khan to free fishermen and women prisoners on the eve of Independence Day

Various civil society organisations and prominent citizens of India and Pakistan have jointly urged Indian and Pakistani PMs to release and repatriate all arrested fish workers and women prisoners of each other's country from their custody coinciding with Independence Day.

The fish workers get arrested for entering into other country's water ‘inadvertently’. They have asked both the PMs to release them on ‘humanitarian grounds’ on the occasion of their Independence Days.

The letter is signed by prominent organizations like Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD); South Asian Partnership (SAP); Legal Aid Office, Karachi; Edhi Foundation; Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum; Aman ki Asha; National Fishworkers’ Forum, Aaghaz-e-Dosti, etc.

The prominent persons include Admiral (R) L Ramdas, IA Rehman, Faisal Edhi, Syeda Hamid, Beena Sarwar, Anjum Rajabali, Teesta Setalvad, Tahseen, Karamat Ali, Haya Zahid, Anis Haroon, Tapan Bose, Vijayan MJ, Jatin Desai among others.

The letter says,” Both countries regularly repatriate prisoners as a gesture of goodwill during Independent Day celebrations, or on the eve of major religious celebrations. Given the humanitarian crisis posed by Covid-19, we urge you to repatriate these prisoners so that they can reunite with their families.”

Time and again both the countries have accepted that these fishermen are innocents and they are never involved in any illegal activities. Once arrested, they have to spend around two years in another country’s prison. They suffer and so their families. The scenario of coastal villages is depressing as women wait for their husband, brother-in-law or son-in-law to return.

The lists exchanged by India and Pakistan on 1st July says 270 Indian fishermen and 54 civilian prisoners are in Pakistan's prisons. While 97 Pakistani fishermen and 265 Pakistani civilian prisoners are in various Indian prisons.