Pakistan apprehends 30 fishermen, seizes five boats off Gujarat coast

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 30 fishermen and seized five boats off Gujarat coast, an official of the Porbandar-based National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) said.

The captured fishermen had set sail from Porbandar and were apprehended last evening near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) in Arabian Sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat, NFF secretary Manish Lodhari said. “Thirty fishermen belonging to Porbandar were captured by PMSA off Jakhau coast near IMBL last evening. The PMSA took the fishermen and their boats to Karachi port,” Lodhari said.

This is the first such incident of capturing of Indian fishermen by Pakistan in May.

Last month, on April 9, the PMSA had captured 42 Indian fishermen with their seven fishing boats off Jakhau coast. The boats belonged to Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol. This was followed by another similar incident when PMSA captured 23 fishermen on April 26. Another 6 fishermen from the same IMBL off Jakhau coast were also captured around that time. All the boats were registered at Porbandar.

In March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats were seized.