Pakistan frees 87 Indian fishermen

Pakistan on Sunday released 87 Indian fishermen held for violating its territorial waters and officials said a similar number would be freed later this month.

"We have total 536 Indian fishermen in prison and today we released 87 of them while 86 more will be released on 20th of this month," deputy superintendent of Karachi`s Landhi prison, Shakir Shah, told AFP.

Shah said those released Sunday had been in jail for more than two and half years. They were freed after verification of their travel documents sent by Indian authorities.

The Indians boarded a train to the eastern border city of Lahore in a journey arranged by Pakistan`s Edhi foundation, a private charity.

Edi foundation officials said they gave the Indians gifts and other necessities for their journey.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

Last week Pakistani maritime security forces detained 20 Indian fishermen and impounded their four boats.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.