After YSRCP MP's letter to Jaishankar, Islamabad to release 20 fishermen

After YSRCP lawmaker V Vijayasai Reddy urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to seek the release of captured fishermen by Pakistan, Islamabad has announced that it will release 20 Indians on January 6.

In a letter to Indian High Commission dated December 31, Pakistan Foreign Ministry informed that repatriation of fishermen will take place on January 06 via Wagah Border. The ministry has asked the high commission to nominate a representative to receive the fishermen.

The 20 fishermen are from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts and were captured by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) off Gujarat coast by breaching into Indian waters. They are among the 483 Indian fishermen captured by Pakistan in December 2018.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamic Republic of Pakistan presents its compliments to the High Commission of Republic of India in Islamabad and has the honour to convey the decision of the Government of Pakistan to release repatriate following twenty fishermen to India via Wagah Border on 06.01.2020," the ministry letter stated, along with a list of names of fishermen.

India has called for early release and repatriation of the prisoners, missing defence personnel and fishermen along with their boats from Pakistan's custody.

Reddy, in August, had written a letter to Jaishankar urging him to expedite the process of repatriation of fishermen captured by Pakistan. In his letter, he had noted that the fishermen were illegally captured by PMSA by entering into "our territorial waters".

The MP has said that he along with the family members of the captured fishermen had met the then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on the issue and was assured by her that she would try through diplomatic channels to get the fishermen released.

"I request you to kindly use your good office to expedite the process of bringing them (fishermen) back to India," Reddy wrote in his letter.