Pakistan expected to release 199 captured Indian fishers on Friday

Karachi: Pakistan is expected to release 199 Indian fishermen on Friday, who were detained by the rival neighbour on alleged illegal fishing in their country's waters, PTI reported.

The said fishermen will be sent to Lahore, where Indian authorities will receive them at the Wagah border. At present, the fishermen are housed at the Landhi jail in Karachi.

Kazi Nazir, a top police official in the jail and corrections department in Sindh, said that it is a goodwill gesture that appeared on the course. He added that an Indian civilian prisoner, Zulfiqar, who was also supposed to be repatriated along with 199, died of an illness on Saturday.

"According to officials at Landhi jail, the Indian prisoner had complained about high fever and chest problems, and his condition deteriorated last week, so he was sent to the hospital where he passed away due to apparent lung infection," he said.

Further, An official of Edhi Welfare Trust, which usually arranges for the safe transportation of these Indian fishermen to Lahore and provides other help in jails, confirmed that there is nothing suspicious about the death of Zulfiqar, adding that the condition in Landhi and Malir jails are extremely poor.

"Prison doctors or the hospital are generally not equipped to deal with serious ailments and recommend sending the patient to the hospital, but sometimes it is too late," the official said.

According to the Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, at present, 631 Indian fishermen and one civilian prisoner are still in the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi despite completing their prison sentences.