It's Pakistan's responsibility to ensure Indian prisoners' safety: MEA after six prisoners died in 9 months
Six Indian prisoners have died in Pakistan in the last nine months, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and India has raised the issue with Islamabad. The MEA statement comes on the same day that Pakistani authorities claimed to have saved the lives of six Indian fishermen who were about to drown near the international maritime boundary line between the two countries.
FollowSix Indian prisoners, including five fishermen, died in Pakistani custody in the last nine months, according to the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which described the incidents as 'alarming.'
"In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of deaths among fishermen. Six Indian detainees out of five fishermen have died in Pakistani custody. They served their sentences but were unlawfully detained by Pakistan," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a press conference.
"These are concerning incidents. Our High Commission in Islamabad has raised the issue. It is Pakistan's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of Indian prisoners," added Bagchi.
The MEA statement comes on the same day that Pakistani authorities claimed to have saved the lives of six Indian fishermen from drowning near the two countries' international maritime boundary line.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) ship patrolled in the Eastern maritime region and discovered six Indian fishermen in the water, according to news agency PTI.
"A rescue operation was immediately launched, and all crew members of the Indian fishing boat were safely recovered," the PMSA said in a statement.
According to the statement, the rescued fishermen were later handed over to an Indian Coast Guard ship operating in the area.
A 50-year-old Gujarati fisherman apprehended by Pakistani authorities on the high seas a year ago died in a Pakistani jail in January for unknown reasons. Jayanti Solanki, a resident of Sutrapada village in the Gir-Somnath district, was identified as the deceased.
Kalu Shiyal, a fisherman from Garal in Gir Somnath district's Una taluka, died in a Pakistani jail in July. Shiyal's mortal remains were handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border. The Pakistan Marine Security Agency apprehended Shiyal in June 2018 for allegedly crossing the notional international maritime boundary line off the coast of Kutch while fishing on board Ganga Sagar, a fishing trawler owned by Nilesh Panjari of Porbandar. He had been imprisoned in Karachi since then and died on July 6 due to illness.
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