GWADAR: The Iranian authorities on Wednesday released around one hundred Pakistani fishermen who were arrested by coastguards three days ago near Jiwani while they were fishing within the Pakistani sea limits.

Official sources said that Iranian border authorities handed over the arrested fishermen to the Levies officials at the Taftan border.

“Iranian border officials handed over around 100 Pak­is­tani fishermen to Levies force,” Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Dr Tufail Ahmed Baloch told Dawn, adding that the released fishermen would be shifted to Jiwani from Taftan.

He said that 20 fishing boats and other equipment seized by the Iranian security forces were still in their custody.

It was the second time in the last few months that Iranian coastguards had seized fishing boats and arrested Pakistani fishermen.

Sources said that Pakistan authorities concerned contacted the Iranian officials and expressed their concern over the matter, urging them to release all fishermen arrested.

The Secretary General of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in Jiwani, Nazeer Baloch, urged the Iranian authorities to stop arresting Pakistani fishermen at the Makran coast as it was within Pakistan’s sea limits.

The fishermen of Jiwani resumed fishing in the Arabian Sea after the release. They had suspended fishing to protest the arrest by Iranian coastguards.

Published in Dawn October 20th, 2016