Pakistan arrests 16 Indian fishermen

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s maritime security arrested 16 Indian fishermen for “trespassing” into its territorial waters, said an official statement issued on Friday.

Two Indian boats carrying the fishermen were also seized, said the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency statement.

The detained fishermen were handed over to Karachi police for further legal action, it added.

The two longtime rivals often arrest fishermen for violating each other's territorial waters due to poorly-marked water boundaries and ill-equipped boats that lack the technology to specify exact locations.

Long-standing strained relations between the two neighbors keep prisoners imprisoned for longer periods of time, and in some cases, even after their sentences have been completed.

Currently, 682 Indian prisoners, including 633 fishermen, and 461 Pakistani prisoners, including 116 fishermen, are imprisoned in each other's countries.