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Pakistan arrests 13 Indian fishermen

March 22, 2011 22:54 IST

Thirteen Indian fishermen have been arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly violating the country's maritime boundary, an official spokesman said on Tuesday.

The fishermen were apprehended with three boats on Monday for violating Pakistan's territorial waters, the spokesman of the Maritime Security Agency said.

The fishermen were handed over to police in Karachi. The MSA had arrested 22 Indian fishermen on a similar charge on Friday.

On March 9, the MSA had arrested 26 Indian fishermen. Pakistan and India arrest dozens of fishermen every year for violating their respective maritime boundaries.

Many of them languish in prison for years even after completing jail terms awarded to them.

Pakistan recently repatriated 12 Indian prisoners, including 11 fishermen who had been held in a jail in Karachi for nearly three years even after completing their prison terms.

Another 442 Indian fishermen were freed last year after two Pakistani NGOs petitioned the Supreme Court for their release.

Rezaul H Laskar In Islamabad
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