KARACHI, Nov 11: Noted social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi has appealed to Pakistan and India to release all fishermen languishing in their countries.

During his visit on Thursday to the Landhi jail, where he distributed relief goods among the poor fishermen, Mr Edhi made the impassioned appealed calling on President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Sindh to order the release of the fishermen on humanitarian grounds in the occasion of the Eid and Diwali so that they could celebrate their religious festivals with their families.

He pointed out that most of the detained fishermen were the only breadwinners of their families. In some cases, he observed, all male members of a family were behind the bars. In this situation, the affected families were faced with starvation, he added.

Mr Edhi distributed Diwali and Eid gifts among the prisoners in Landhi jail where as many as 700 Indian fishermen have been kept. The gifts included boxes of sweets, clothes, ajrak, footware, etc. One cake and Rs100 in cash were given to every fisherman.