KARACHI: The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) on Saturday arrested 20 more Indian fishermen for fishing in Pakistani waters, an official said.

“The Indian fishermen were arrested by the MSA while they were fishing in Pakistani limits of the Arabian Sea,” said an official at the Docks police station. “Their [Indian fishermen’s] four fishing boats have also been seized by the MSA. We are in the process of taking their custody from the MSA. They will be then produced in court.”

He said a case under Sections 3/4 of the Foreigners Act and 3/9 of the Fishery Act was registered for the offence against the Indian fishermen. The fresh arrest of Indian fishermen came as the second of its kind within a week, as on Feb 20 the MSA authorities had arrested 88 fishermen of the neighbouring country while they were fishing in Pakistani territorial limits of the sea.

Meanwhile, an official at the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society said the release and exchange of arrested fishermen had been halted for the past many months as apart from more than 150 Indian fishermen in Pakistani prisons, more than 50 Pakistan fishermen were in Indian jails, causing concern among the families of the arrested men on both sides of the border.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2016