Indian fisherman, released by Pakistan, to reach Gujarat's Vadodara on Thursday

Vadodara: Sixty-eight fishermen from Gujarat, who were released by Pakistan on Sunday, will reach Vadodara late on Thursday night.

They will then head to their hometowns in different parts of the state.

"We took custody of the fishermen from the Punjab government. The fishermen had been handed over by Pakistan to the Punjab government as it was difficult for our team to reach Wagah border on Monday," superintendent of Gujarat's fisheries department, Rajubhai Patel told PTI from Amritsar.

The fishermen will be accommodated in a special coach, which will be attached to the Mumbai-bound Golden Temple Mail (Swarna Jayanti Express) leaving Amritsar tonight and reach Vadodara at 11 pm tomorrow, he said. 

On October 29, Pakistan had released 68 Indian fishermen, held for allegedly violating its territorial waters, from Karachi's Landhi jail as a goodwill gesture.

The fishermen had boarded a train to Lahore from where they were taken to the Wagah border and handed over to Indian authorities.

The fishermen were taken in covered police vans in full security to the railway station where volunteers of the Edhi Foundation distributed cash and gifts among them.

In July, 78 Indian fishermen were released from the Landhi jail. 

In December last year and January 2017, the Pakistan government had released two batches of Indian fishermen from the Malir and Landhi jails.

A total of 438 Indian fishermen were released in 12 days time in December-January.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other's territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

(With PTI inputs)