Pak authorities arrest 13 Indian fishermen

Pakistani police officer talks with arrested Indian fishermen at a prison, on March 22, this year in Karachi, . Authorities arrested 31 Indian fishermen for their alleged presence in Pakistani territory. Photo: AP.

Pakistani authorities have arrested 13 Indian nationals and seized three boats they were travelling in for allegedly entering the country’s territorial waters without permission, a spokesman said today.

The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) apprehended the three fishing boats with 13 crew members yesterday within Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone, he said.

The apprehended crew members “seem to be fishermen” and are being interrogated by security agencies to “establish their exact identity and intent for operating in (Pakistan’s) waters,” he said, adding that the MSA is making “all-out efforts” to safeguard the country’s maritime interests.

India and Pakistan have arrested several fishermen in the past on charges of violating each other’s maritime boundary.