Pakistan arrests 17 Indian fishermen for 'straying into territorial waters'

Pakistan has arrested 17 Indian fishermen and confiscated their three boats for allegedly straying into the country's territorial waters.

The fishermen, arrested on Friday, were produced before a judicial magistrate on Saturday and handed over to the police, said a spokesperson for the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

The official said the Indian fishermen were warned that they were in Pakistan's territorial waters and should turn away but did not heed the warning.

Fast response boats were used to arrest the 17 fishermen who were 10-15 nautical miles inside Pakistan's territorial waters near Sir Creek, the coastal border between Pakistan and India, the spokesperson said.

The Indian fishermen are sent either to Malir or Landhi jail in Karachi.

The arrest comes after a gap of one year when 23 Indian fishermen were arrested and four of their fishing boats seized by the Maritime Security Agency.

Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and the fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.

Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes even for years.