ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: The government is all set to repatriate the Indian fishermen currently in Karachi jails and has been in touch with New Delhi in this regard, well-placed official sources told Dawn on Friday.

“We have no intention of keeping them (fishermen) and we will send them all back as soon as possible upon a mutually agreed date,” said a senior foreign ministry official involved in the process.

Pakistan has been trying for quite some time to repatriate some 280 Indian fishermen who had strayed into Pakistan’s territorial waters nearly a year back. The delay has been caused by India’s insistence on their repatriation from Karachi in their boats contrary to Pakistan’s offer of repatriation through the Wagah border.

“We don’t gain any advantage by keeping them in our jails and continuing with our hospitality,” said a senior interior ministry official when contacted by Dawn on Friday.

Pakistani authorities believe these fishermen have been used by Indian intelligence for intelligence gathering. They point to numerous instances of fishermen “prowling in Pakistani waters” details of which have been furnished to the Indian ministry of external affairs.

However, officials in Islamabad maintain that Pakistan has treated the matter on purely humanitarian grounds.

Meanwhile, on the issue of the detained 22 Sikh youth in a Quetta jail, the official position is that these Sikhs had entered Pakistan illegally and are being tried under law and going through their sentences. “They will be repatriated as soon as possible,” said a foreign ministry official when queried about their fate.

These Sikhs were arrested last year for illegal entry into Pakistan from Iran.