Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) Chairman Muhammad Ali Shah anticipates the governments of Pakistan and India to announce the release of innocent fishermen languishing in jails on both sides of the border.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the PFF termed the year 2011 to have experienced the worst situation in terms of detaining fishermen of Pakistan and India in a predetermined allegation of violating the sea territories.
With the new year just around the corner, Shah expressed the hope to see the Pakistani and Indian governments realise the issue of detaining fishermen and resolve the matter for good.
According to the statement, 34 fishermen, including 18 who were arrested during the last months of 2011, have been languishing in Indian jails, with 183 boats confiscated, whereas the total number of Pakistani fishermen detained by the Indian forces is 53, as many of them have gone missing, and it is feared that they might have been detained from the open sea. “A total of 164 fishermen from India, along with 34 boats, have been arrested between April and December this year under the same charges,” it added.
The figures show that although both the governments released fishermen during 2011, they still target the fisherfolk on the pretext of territory violation.
Moreover, according to a new research, a sufficient number of minor children are reported to be hailing from both sides in jails, most of whom are known to be the sole breadwinners of their underprivileged families.
Karamat Ali, the director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), the organisation that is one of the parties pleading for the release of Indian fishermen in the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan, said, “Basically, it’s the political issue between both countries, and it is being delayed because it is related to other matters, like demilitarisation of Siachen and demarcation of the controversial Sir Creek. Once these issues are resolved, the detaining of the fishermen will be stopped.”
Both the governments acknowledge to have implemented the decisions to stop arresting fishermen from both sides, with a clause that stranded boats should be warned in the first place before proceeding to arrest them, he added.
Ali, who was one of the participants in Pakistan’s judiciary team that recently visited India to resolve the fishermen’s issue, said that it is their obligation according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea that fishermen cannot be arrested by security forces of neighbouring countries.
After the SC of Pakistan, the SC of India has also seriously taken up the matter and might ask the Indian government through its decision to ensure the release of Pakistani fishermen and stop further actions.
“We have asked both the governments that the fishermen are not prisoners of war, and that they depend on fishing for their livelihood. Hence, they should be treated humanly while being arrested,” said Ali. “It is the Pakistani and Indian governments’ responsibility to process demarcation without further delay so that the fishermen may not cross the territory during their livelihood activities.” Not only this, these authorities should also resolve the issue of returning boats, which they seize while arresting the fishermen,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PFF chairman has demanded of both the governments that all the confiscated boats be handed over to the fishermen of both the countries, as depriving them of their tools is a violation of human rights.
