Pak releases 45 Indian fishermen as goodwill gesture

Pakistan has freed 45 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds as a goodwill gesture, officials have said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso decided last week to release the Indian fishermen who have already served their sentences, reports The News.

The authorities released a group of 45 prisoners from Karachi, Malir prison who later boarded a bus that will take them to the eastern city of Lahore where they will be handed over to Indian authorities on the Wahga border.

Pakistan and India routinely arrest fishermen after they cross the maritime boundaries for fishing. Both countries have not succeeded in determining their water boundaries despite series of dialogue on the issue.

At present, 482 Indian prisoners are in Pakistani jails whereas 496 Pakistanis are in Indian jails.

The Foreign Ministry has initiated dialogue with India for the swap of either country's prisoners, officials say.

The decision to free Indian prisoners came days after tensions between the neighbours following attacks in jails on an Indian and a Pakistani prisoner. Both later died of wounds.