India on Friday said its six prisoners have died in Pakistan in the last nine months and the “alarming” situation has been raised with Islamabad. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that there has been a surge in the number of deaths of fishermen in recent times.
Addressing a weekly press briefing, Bagchi said, “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. It is alarming.
The matter has been raised by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, he said, adding, “Pakistan is duty bound to maintain the safety and security of Indian prisoners.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities claimed to have saved the lives of six Indian fishermen from drowning close to the international maritime boundary line, reported PTI news agency.
Officials said a ship of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) was patrolling in the Eastern maritime region on Wednesday 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.
According to the report, their fishing boat sank due to an accident and they drifted towards Pakistani waters. The fishermen were provided food and medical aid before they were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard ship operating in the area.
In an earlier incident on August 9, the Pakistan Navy claimed that they had rescued nine fishermen while they were drowning in the Arabian sea.
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