In a tragic revelation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said six Indian prisoners, including five fishermen, have died in the Pakistani custody in the last nine months and described the incidents as “alarming”.
“There have been an increasing number of deaths of fishermen in recent times. Six Indian prisoners out of which five of them were fishermen have died in Pakistani custody. They completed their sentences but were illegally detained by Pakistan,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing. “These incidents are alarming. The matter has been raised by our high commission in Islamabad. Pakistan is duty bound to maintain the safety and security of Indian prisoners,” Bagchi added. The MEA's statement comes on a day Pakistani authorities claimed to have saved the lives of six Indian fishermen from drowning close to the international maritime boundary line between the two neighbouring countries.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a ship of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) was patrolling in the Eastern maritime region and found six Indian fishermen in the water. “A rescue operation was launched immediately and all crew members of the Indian fishing boat were safely recovered,” a statement from the PMSA said.
Later, the rescued fishermen were handed over to an Indian Coast Guard ship operating in the area, the statement said.