In India, Porbandar and in Pakistan, Karachi have seen a show of solidarity by the fishermen of both the places as they took out marches demanding the release of their captured kin. Manish Lodhari, secretary of the Fishworkers Forum in Porbandar, said that this show of solidarity should move the governments of both the nations and if they fail to respond these fishermen will knock on the doors of the respective Supreme Courts.
Fishermen marched through the streets of Porbandar to the district collector’s office and submitted a memorandum listing their grievances to be forwarded to the president of India. Lodhari explained that their demands include the release of fishermen in jails in Pakistan as well as the release of their boats.
He also told that five hundred and eightyone fishermen are in jails in Pakistan, and of these 460 have already served their prison terms. Similarly 444 Indian boats are in Pakistani possession. He concluded that the condition of the Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails is pathetic. In Pakistan all members of the Pakistan Fisheries Forum led by their president Mohammed Ali Shah, had taken out a similar rally through the streets of Karachi demanding release of their kin and boats in Indian custody.
Official record shows that over 247 Pakistani fishermen and 65 of their boats are in Indian custody. It is informed that besides Porbandar, similar rallies were taken out in smaller fishing towns like Veraval, Mangrol, Okha and Dwarka. Jeevan Jungi of the Porbandar Boats Association said that the territorial dispute between the two countries was making life miserable for fishermen on both sides of the border.
