TENSIONS between Pakistan and India have been particularly detrimental for hapless fishermen in jails and their families on either side. These detainees end up spending years behind bars due to slow trials, denial of consular access and no legal aid. Against this grim backdrop, the recent repatriation of 25 fishermen who crossed back into Pakistan through the border in Lahore on Saturday, is encouraging. In July, Pakistan urged India to free and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences; 33 of them are fisherfolk.

Dozens of fishermen frequently cross the unmarked maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea in pursuit of catch. The stakes are higher around the disputed Sir Creek area. Their arrest and incarceration must be seen as a humanitarian crisis that devastates families who are left without breadwinners. Ideally, poor anglers should be released after their nationality has been verified. Both countries need to revisit the Agreement on Consular Access, signed in 2008, for the sake of justice, humanity and the right of ordinary citizens to liberty. Additionally, the two countries are in breach of the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The pact ordains “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country”. As a confidence-building measure, the two states should adopt a no-arrest policy for fisherfolk, and establish a dedicated cell to ensure legal aid, translators, identity authentication, consular access, contact with kin and swift trials. If fishermen inadvertently breach maritime borders, instead of arresting them, the authorities should issue warnings to turn around. A ‘buffer zone’ safe for fishermen to fish without restraint should be considered. Finally, diplomacy can hardly be stalled indefinitely. Bilateral relations must at least progress to a stage where poor and vulnerable people are able to rely on the implementation of political agreements.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026