The body of a Pakistani fisherman who died in an Indian prison after being jailed there for five years was repatriated to Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, a leading Pakistani charity said on Saturday.
Indian and Pakistani fishermen are routinely detained by the maritime authorities of both countries for allegedly crossing into each other’s territorial waters. The poorly demarcated maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea, combined with the limited navigational capabilities of many fishing vessels, often results in unintentional border crossings.
The deceased fisherman was identified as 75-year-old Ismail Ibrahim who had been imprisoned in India since 2021, according to Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation.
The exact date of his death could not be immediately known.
“The body of a Pakistani fisherman who had been imprisoned in an Indian jail since 2021 is being transported from Karachi Airport to his ancestral home at Badr Ground, Keamari by an Edhi ambulance,” the charity said on Saturday afternoon.
This is not the first time a Pakistani fisherman has died in an Indian prison. In 2019, a Pakistani fisherman died after he was allegedly beaten up by Indian jail staff, Pakistani media reported.
Last year, an Indian prisoner, Gaurav, died by suicide in a Karachi jail while another, Babu Kana, died after suffering health complications, according to Pakistani jail authorities. In 2023, two Indian fishermen, Balo Jetha and Soma Deva – died in Pakistan after their health deteriorated during incarceration. Many Indian and Pakistani fishermen have continued to languish in each other’s jails.
Human rights activists on both sides of the border have long called for a faster process to release fishermen who inadvertently cross the invisible maritime boundary and are jailed despite committing no crime, leaving their families to endure years of hardship back home.
The 2008 Agreement on Consular Access between Pakistan and India mandates the release and repatriation of people within one month of confirming their nationality and sentence completion.