The government said that 211 Indian fishermen are in the custody of Pakistan, 141 in Sri Lanka and 95 in Bangladesh. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said 1,172 boats or trawlers are in Pakistan’s custody, 198 in Sri Lankan and six in Bangladesh custody. He said Bahrain has 37 Indian fishermen in its custody, while Saudi Arabia 25 and in Qatar four.
He said the union government has taken up the release and repatriation of Indian fishermen with the respective governments through diplomatic channels, official interactions and established bilateral mechanisms.
The government secured the release of 363 fishermen from Sri Lanka during the current year and added that 12 more fishermen released are in the process of being repatriated.