Pakistan Arrests 23 Indian Fishermen, Seizes 4 Boats

Rabu, 4 April 2012 09:09 WIB

The fishermen were detained by the Maritime Security Agency ( MSA) during a routine patrolling, a spokesman for the agency said.

He said the Indian fishermen and their boats were apprehended for entering deep inside Pakistani waters for approximately 70 nautical miles.

The spokesman said that the Indian fishermen had been warned by the Pakistani Maritime Authority, but they "ignored" the warning.

Pakistani officials insist that the Indian fishermen allegedly continued to intrude into the country's marine-rich Indus delta region regardless of the livelihood of local fishermen.

The MSA handed over the fishermen to police in Karachi for further investigation. They will appear in a local court later on Tuesday.

India and Pakistan routinely arrest fishermen on charges of entering each other's waters as the two nuclear rivals have not yet determined their maritime boundaries despite series of talks on the issue.

On Sunday, Indian officials said that at least 14 Pakistani fishermen including a minor were caught and their two boats were seized by Indian Coast Guard from within Indian maritime boundary.