22 Indian fishermen sent home from Pakistan
Lahore/Islamabad, Feb 22 (PTI): As many as 22 Indian fishermen, who were languishing in Pakistan's Karachi jail, were released and sent to their country on Saturday, officials said.
The released fishermen were handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah Border near here.
The released Indian fishermen were brought to Lahore from Karachi in a special bus run by Edhi Foundation earlier in the day.
“Each Indian fisherman was provided with PKR 5,000, meals, and gifts by the Edhi Foundation,” a spokesperson for Edhi Foundation told PTI.
The freed individuals include Bhupat, Mala, Krishan, Khalaf, Mohan, Asif, Ashok, Akbar, Lakhman, Moji, Deepak, Ram, Hari, Tapu, Suresh, Vijay, Manoj Kumar, Vinu, Mahesh, Subhash, Sanjay, and Selendhar.
Earlier, Malir (Karachi) Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah told the media that the fishermen were released after completing their sentences. They were all arrested for unintentionally crossing into Pakistan’s territorial waters.
Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested due to poorly demarcated sea frontiers.
Edhi Foundation head Faisal Edhi urged both India and Pakistan to adopt a more compassionate approach toward fishermen who mistakenly cross maritime boundaries.
According to the latest prisoner exchange lists shared between India and Pakistan on January 1, 2025: Pakistan held 266 Indian prisoners, including 49 civilian prisoners and 217 fishermen while India held 462 Pakistani prisoners, including 381 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen.
A reply from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Lok Sabha on December 12, 2024 said that a total of 2639 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014.
Out of the 209 fishermen -- as of July 1, 2024 -- under Pakistan’s custody, 51 fishermen have been in Pakistani jails since 2021; 130 fishermen since 2022; 9 fishermen since 2023; and 19 fishermen since 2024, the MEA said.
Edhi Foundation's Faisal Edhi highlighted the suffering of the families of fishermen from both the sides during their prolonged incarcerations and called for their immediate release and swift repatriation once their sentences are completed.
Pakistani authorities repatriate Indian fishermen through the Wagah border, and their onward journey home in the coastal areas is facilitated by the Indian authorities after completing official formalities. Similarly, Indian authorities release Pakistani fishermen at the Wagah border and their homeward journey to the coastal area is facilitated by the Pakistani authorities.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
