01 March 2005	Tuesday	19 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, Feb 28: The judicial magistrate (West) Irshad Hussain on Monday remanded 101 Indian fishermen to jail custody. They were arrested for entering Pakistani territorial waters illegally.

They were produced before the court. Their 16 boats were also confiscated by the MSA in which Indians were illegally fishing inside Pakistan's Exclusive economic Zone.

The Maritime Security Agency said on Monday that its ships Nusrat and Rafaqat apprehended 16 Indian Fishing boats, along with 101 crew members on board on Feb 27 on charges of fishing illegally in Pakistani waters.

The MSA ships, it said, were on routine patrol in the Eastern Maritime Region when these boats were spotted fishing illegally about 70-120 km inside Pakistan's EEZ.

The Indian fishermen had been warned time and again not to indulge in illegal fishing but they repeatedly come in our EEZ to explore benefit from rich fish resources at the mouth of Indus Delta.

Later, the apprehended fishermen were handed over the to Docks Police for further legal action. The MSA has apprehended 113 Indian fishing boats with 663 fishermen during this season since September 2004. -PPI/APP