Ahmedabad: In the coastal hamlet of Vanakvara in Diu, off the southern coast of Gujarat, Jagrutiben Solanki has been toiling for the past five years in fields belonging to others to sustain her family. The 36-year-old widow has been supporting her ailing father-in-law and two daughters all by herself ever since her brother-in-law Hiran Solanki got picked up by Pakistani maritime agencies near the disputed maritime boundary of the two countries.Hiren is among numerous fisherfolk from both India and Pakistan who went on routine fishing activity before getting detained and imprisoned by respective authorities, eventually landing in alien prisons.A total of 198 Indian fisherfolk are languishing in Pakistani jails, while 53 Pakistani fisherfolk are in prisons in India.
India, Pakistan civil groups urge release of jailed fisherfolk
The detention of fisherfolk near the disputed India-Pakistan maritime boundary has left families on both sides facing prolonged uncertainty and hardship. Many fishermen who venture into the sea for their livelihood are detained by authorities and end up in prisons across the border. Currently, 198 Indian fisherfolk are lodged in Pakistani jails, while 53 Pakistani fisherfolk remain imprisoned in India.
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