Indian pirates stealing natural resources

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Indian pirates are stealing precious natural resources worth billions of rupees from the Pakistani waters, stated the documentary report ‘Pirates of the Indus Delta’ by the Business Plus television channel on Friday.

Maritime Security Agency’s deputy director general Captain Muhammad Mohsin said that Pakistani waters attracted Indian fishermen because of their rich natural resources. He said the fishermen fished in the Pakistani waters mainly because of the Tuna fish, which was highly priced in the international market. “One kilogram of Tuna is sold for US $20 in the international market,” said he, adding that the agency arrests Indian fishermen to curtail the exploitation of Pakistan’s natural resources.

Mohsin said over 200 Indian fishermen were currently jailed and 200 big boats had been confiscated. “India’s coastguards arrest our fishermen as retaliation but they have just 20 to 30 Pakistani small boats, captured from the Pakistani waters, whereas we have over 200 big boats, confiscated from our waters,” he said.

The report claimed that Pakistan had released 268 Indian fishermen on January 2, while another 529 were released on March 20 as a goodwill gesture. However, India released only 93 Pakistani fishermen in response.

Social worker Faisal Edhi said that some Pakistani fishermen had been detained for over a year in Indian jails and their families were facing financial difficulties. He said the Indian government took care of the families of it nationals if they were arrested in Pakistan. “However, our government doesn’t financially assist our fishermen’s families in case he is arrested,” Edhi said.

Sindh Chief Minister advisor Faqir Muhammad also appeared in the documentary and said the government was talking with the Indian government to get the Pakistani fishermen released.

A Pakistan fisherman said that fences did not determine water frontiers and most fishermen lost their legal position by heavy water currents. He said that both countries should take measures in this regard to lessen such incidents.

Home | National