Increase font size Decrease font size Reset font size

Fishermen`s plight

2023-11-11
OMPASSION has always been missing from the PakistanIndia equation, and poor fishermen are perhaps the easiest targets for authorities on either side to scoop up, keep in jail for a few years and then return at an `appropriate` time as a `goodwill` gesture. Their crime? Crossing a maritime boundary that is not demarcated while in search of catch. When they are released, it becomes a media event, as charities provide them gifts and cash, and they are finally allowed to return. A similar episode occurred on Thursday in Karachi, as 80 Indian fishermen were released and put on a train to Lahore so that they could cross over to their homeland. Most had been detained in Pakistan for three to four years. Activists said that while the foreign anglers had been treated well by local authorities, they were worried about how their families in India would be faring economically. Activists also said that currently, there are around 89 Pakistani fishermen incarcerated in India.

Being kept away from their families has a devastating psychological and economic impact on the fishermen; most of them come from humble backgrounds, and if their boats are confiscated, they have to start from zero. While bilateral relations are in a deep freeze at the moment, Pakistan and India can surely address the issue of fishermen as a priority, on a humanitarian basis. If fisherfolk stray into the other state`s territory, they should be warned by the authorities to turn back instead of being detained. Activists have also advocated the creation of a maritime `buffer zone` where fisherfolk from both states can fish freely. Workable solutions to the plight of fishermen can be found should both capitals seek to end their misery. While thornier issues on the bilateral agenda may take time to resolve, the fishermen`s matter linked to the Sir Creek dispute should be relatively easy to address.