KARACHI, March 22: The Marine Security Agency (MSA) arrested 30 Indian fishermen and seized five boats for illegally fishing in Pakistan’s territorial, an official said on Saturday.

The arrests follow the detention of 36 Indian fishermen last week on similar charges.

“They (Indian fishermen) were caught fishing 60 nautical miles southeast of Karachi in the Arabian Sea,” the official said.

With the new arrests, 243 Indian fishermen are now in custody in Pakistan. More than 100 Pakistani fishermen are in Indian prisons on similar charges.

Pakistan had last month released 280 Indian fishermen as a gesture of goodwill. The fishing communities in the two rival countries have demanded the early release of fishermen on humanitarian grounds.—dpa