Families Urge Pakistan to Release 178 Indian Fishermen Ahead of Independence Day

As India and Pakistan prepare to mark their Independence Days next week, families of Indian fishermen held in Pakistani jails have urged both governments to secure.

Their release on humanitarian grounds, especially those who have already completed their sentences. Representatives of the National Fishworkers Forum, Samast Machhimar Parivar, Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and families of detained fishermen made the appeal at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Friday. They called on New Delhi and Islamabad to use August 14 and 15 as an opportunity to release fishermen detained on either side of the border.

According to the organisations, 198 Indian fishermen are currently imprisoned in Pakistan, while 54 Pakistani fishermen are lodged in Indian jails. Of the Indian fishermen, 178 have already completed their sentences but remain behind bars, which the groups said was contrary to the provisions of the 2008 India-Pakistan Consular Access Agreement.

The families said most of the fishermen had unintentionally crossed the maritime boundary while fishing and were not involved in espionage or other criminal activities. They urged both governments to keep humanitarian concerns separate from ongoing political and diplomatic tensions.

‘THEY WENT FISHING, NOT SPYING’

Among those seeking the return of their loved ones is Manju Mohan Bariya from Kotda village in Gujarat’s Somnath district. Her 22-year-old son, Mayur, and her brothers, Kamlesh and Mukesh Chavda, have been imprisoned in Pakistan since 2020.

Bariya said 10 people from her village remain in Pakistani jails despite having completed their sentences years ago.

“My son and brothers went to sea to catch fish, not to commit any crime or spy. Their one-year sentence ended long ago, yet they have remained in prison for nearly five additional years. We have met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and recently Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, but we are still waiting for their return,” she said.

Other families at the press conference described similar struggles.

Dhanu Bambhaniya from Somnath said her son Kapil and son-in-law Ramjibhai have spent nearly five years in Pakistani custody. Bhavna Solanki from Una said her husband, Mahesh, has been imprisoned for six years, leaving her to care for their two children and an ailing father-in-law.

Jagruti Solanki said her brother-in-law, the family’s sole breadwinner, remains imprisoned despite completing his sentence, pushing the family into severe financial hardship.

Jeeviben Ramji from Diu said her son Vishal was arrested just six months after his marriage. His young daughter, she said, continues to ask when her father will return home.

Activists working for the welfare of fishermen said prolonged detention even after prisoners have completed their sentences remains a persistent humanitarian issue.

Jatin Desai of the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy said 178 of the 198 Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails had already served their sentences, while the remaining 20 were facing trial.