KARACHI, Nov 13: Officials of the Maritime Security Agency arrested 13 Indian fishermen on Thursday for violating sea boundaries.

“We have arrested these Indian fishermen for fishing inside our area and violating our sea limits, and seized two of their fishing boats,” MSA commander Mohammad Zakir told AFP.

On Nov 7 Pakistan and Indian maritime authorities exchanged fishermen, held for the same reason, as a key confidence-building measure.

Pakistan handed over 74 Indian fishermen and India handed over 93 Pakistanis on a ship on the Arabian Sea.

The coastguards of both countries routinely detain each other’s fishermen for straying across de facto maritime borders.

“Releasing Indian fishermen did not mean we would not arrest them in future if they try to violate our sea limits,” senior MSA official Sibte Hasan said.

“We will not allow them to violate our borders and keep catching them each time we see them entering unlawfully within our borders.”

Maritime officials have handed the Indians to local police to initiate legal proceedings, police said. — AFP