Pakistan orders release of 20 jailed fishermen

The Pakistan government in April last year released 260 Indian fishermen in three batches from Malir and Landhi jails in Karachi

Indian fishermen hold travelling cards as they sit on a railway station in the Pakistan's port city of Karachi on January 5, 2020 after they were released from the Malir Jail. (AFP Photo)

The Pakistan government on Sunday said it ordered the release of 20 Indian fishermen from Malir District Jail in Landhi town in Sindh province.

The Indian fishermen, who were in jail for the last one year, were put on a train bound for Lahore from where they will be taken to the Wagah border and handed over to Indian authorities.

Superintendent of Malir District Jail Aurangzeb Khan said the orders to release the Indian fishermen came from the Interior Ministry.

"We still have some 237 Indian fishermen in our jail who were sent to prison for illegally fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters," he said.

Faisal Edhi, who runs social welfare trust Edhi Foundation, said the Indian fishermen were given money and some necessary items before they boarded the Lahore-bound train.

Incidents of Indian fishermen being arrested by Pakistan's Maritime Security Forces for illegally fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters have eased since August last year when 34 Indian fishermen were arrested and six boats seized.