144 Gujarat fishermen in Pak jails, none released last year

As of 31 January 2025, a total of 144 fishermen from Gujarat remain in Pakistani jails, the state government informed the state's legislative assembly on 5 March, Wednesday.

In the one year from 1 February 2023 to 21 January 2024, Pakistan released 432 Gujarat fishermen. However, no fishermen have been released since then.

The number of arrests of Gujarat fishermen by Pakistan has drastically decreased, however, the government said.

Between 1 February 2023 and 31 January 2024, only nine Gujarat fishermen were detained by Pakistani authorities. In the following year, 13 fishermen were arrested, marking a slight increase.

In a separate response, the state government revealed that 1,173 boats from Gujarat are also in Pakistan’s custody.

Over the past two years, Pakistan has detained 22 fishermen and seized four boats. While 432 fishermen were released during this period, not a single boat was returned.

The issue of Indian fishermen being arrested near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) remains a long-standing concern, with repeated diplomatic efforts aimed at securing their release.

As of 1 July 2024, there were 211 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistani jails, with 134 hailing from Gujarat.

This marked a significant decrease from previous years. For instance, as of 31 December 2022, a total of 560 Gujarati fishermen were incarcerated in Pakistan, with 274 apprehended in 2021 and 2022 alone.

The reduction in arrests suggests improved maritime practices and bilateral efforts to address the issue.

Despite these improvements, the prolonged detention of fishermen continues to impact their families and communities, highlighting the need for ongoing diplomatic engagement to secure timely releases and prevent future incarcerations.

In 22 February, Indian fishermen were released from a jail in Pakistan. They were detained in Pakistan for “inadvertently” straying into its waters during 2021–22. Of these, 18 were from Gujarat, 3 were from Diu and 1 was a resident of Uttar Pradesh.