At least 211 Indian fishermen are currently detained in Pakistani jails, according to data available as of July 1, 2024, when the most recent exchange of prisoner lists took place between India and Pakistan. Of these, 19 fishermen were detained this year alone.
The figures were revealed in responses to questions raised in Parliament by Independent MP Umeshbhai Patel from Daman and Diu in the Lok Sabha on Friday and by Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, responding to Patel’s query, disclosed that 24 of the 211 fishermen in Pakistani custody are from the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. He further stated that since 2014, a total of 2,639 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Pakistan.
In response to Surjewala’s question regarding fishermen arrested by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the past five years, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that 535 Indian fishermen had been detained by Sri Lankan authorities as of December 5, 2024. Meanwhile, 19 arrests were made by Pakistan’s security agencies this year up until July 1.
Jaishankar also revealed in the Lok Sabha that 1,172 Indian fishing boats remain in Pakistani custody. He added that India has urged Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of all Indian fishermen who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been confirmed. Additionally, Pakistan has been asked to grant immediate consular access to the remaining detainees believed to be Indian.
Addressing concerns about fishermen detained by Sri Lanka, MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh noted that Jaishankar had raised the issue with Sri Lanka’s new political leadership during his visit in October 2024.
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