A three-member Pakistani peace delegation on Thursday left for New Delhi on the invitation of the released fishermen and peace organisations in India. The delegation comprises Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, senior Supreme Court lawyer Syed Iqbal Haider, and Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research Executive Director Karamat Ali.
They would attend a roundtable conference in New Delhi and discuss the issues of the fishermen and other peace-related matters.
Resolution of the Sir Creek issue would figure prominently in the deliberations because this dispute has resulted in thousands of fishermen of the two countries being arrested by their respective navy and detained for years without trial.
The Pakistani delegation would meet with the Indian peace activists in New Delhi; and on September 17, they would fly to Ahmedabad and hold a meeting with the Fisheries minister in Gandhinagar.
The Pakistani delegation would then proceed to Rajkot to hold a press conference and meetings with activists.
This would be followed by a visit to Diu, where a meeting is to be held with the fishermen and their families.
On September 18, the delegation would proceed to Mangrol, Gujarat for a meeting with the fishing community; and they would stay at Porbandar.
The next day, the delegation would attend the Fishing Communities Convention, followed by a press conference and a visit to Kirti Mandir – Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace; and in the afternoon, they would fly back to Mumbai.
As the frequent arrest and release of the Indian and Pakistani fishermen continues, there is little seriousness on the part of the two states to put this unfortunate practice to an end.
The maritime border between Pakistan and India is a disputed territory devoid of any prominent mark to demarcate the two sides.
Accidental crossing of the sea border by the fishermen of the two countries is, therefore, a common occurrence.
The civil society of Pakistan and India have been advocating long-term measures to address the issue since the legal proceedings following the detention of the fishermen for border violations are always long-drawn, and political motivations make their way into the process as well, hampering their timely release.
In this regard, a number of measures have been proposed to facilitate a long-term solution of the issue. These include:
1) Early resolution of border dispute. Bilateral agreements are needed between India and Pakistan to finalise the border in the seawaters.
2) Immediate release of detained fishermen who complete their sentences.
3) Implementation of legislation to deal with the arrest and detention of fish workers in the waters of other coastal states should be in accordance with article 73 of the 1982 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea; and should not contravene, among others, the appropriate articles in the 1976 UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the 1976 UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
4) Till the resolution of the border dispute, 50 nautical miles from each country shall be kept as free-fishing zone.
5) Provision of fishermen’s identity card for easy identification of the individual who are engaged only in fishing, but not for other purposes, to avoid unnecessary investigation on any other charges.
