ISLAMABAD- Pakistani authorities have arrested 52 Indian fishermen for straying into the country’s territorial waters, an official said on Saturday.
The latest batch of Indian fishermen was arrested on Thursday night by the Pakistan Maritime Security Forces, he said.
Eight fishing boats were also seized.
A judicial magistrate sent the 52 Indian fishermen to judicial remand, the official said.
They will be lodged in the Malir jail in Karachi, he said.
“Most of us come from a village in Dandi near Gujarat coastal area and we didn’t know we had strayed into Pakistani territory while fishing at night,” he said.
Another frail-looking middle-aged man being bundled into the vehicle kept on saying that the governments of both the countries need to do more for the poor fishermen who spend years in jail for no fault.
Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested for straying into each other’s territorial waters while fishing along the Sir Creek area of Gujarat in the Arabian sea.
On Friday, they were handed over to the Docks police station and then made to appear before a judicial magistrate who sent them to jail.