Pakistan frees 100 Indian fishermen

Amritsar, Dec 26: Pakistan Saturday handed over 100 Indian fishermen, including nine children, to Indian authorities at the Attari-Wagah joint border checkpost, officials said.

The fishermen, mostly residents of Gujarat, had mistakenly crossed the maritime border around three years ago and were caught by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

"Pakistan authorities have handed over to us 100 Indian fishermen at the Attari-Wagah border. Most of these fishermen belong to Gujarat," said an official here Saturday.

The freed fishermen complained about ill treatment in Pakistan.

"We were forced to live in the most inhumane conditions in Pakistani jails. They used to give us very poor food and many times we had to manage without any food or water. There were instances when we did not see daylight for many days," said Chotu Lal, one of the fisherman.

Ramesh, another fisherman, said: "We really thank god that we are back in India as we had almost lost all hopes of returning. But now we cannot pursue the same profession again as our boats, worth thousands of rupees, are still in the possession of the Pakistani authorities."