560 fishermen from Gujarat languishing in Pakistani jails: State government

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government informed the Assembly on Tuesday that 560 fishermen from the state are being held in Pakistani jails after being apprehended by authorities of that country in the Arabian Sea.

In response to a starred question by Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadiya during question hour, state fisheries minister Raghavji Patel stated that as of December 31, 2022, 560 Gujarat fishermen were imprisoned in Pakistan.

“Our fishermen sometimes cross the international maritime boundary and Pakistan sometimes kidnaps them from the border. As many as 274 of the 560 fishermen have been apprehended by Pakistani authorities in two years alone. Of 274, 193 were jailed in 2021 and 81 in 2022. Pakistan has seized approximately 1,200 fishing boats,” said Raghavji Patel.

Giving data, the minister stated that the number of fishermen released from Pakistani jails in Gujarat in the last two years stood at 55, with 20 released in 2021 and 35 in 2022.

In reply to a separate question, the minister said, “Families of the jailed fishermen were earlier given Rs 50 as a daily allowance. The assistance was increased to Rs 150 in 2012. From 2019, this assistance rose to Rs 300,” he said.

“As many as 323 families of the jailed fishermen were provided with a daily allowance of Rs 300 in 2021 and 428 families in 2022.  The state government provides Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the families of those fishermen who died in Pakistani jails,” he said.

Patel told the House that the state government has given fishing boat owners Rs 20,000 to help them install GPS devices on their boats. However, Congress MLA Modhwadiya stated the lack of consular access is causing delay in their release.