Pakistan releases 100 Indian fishermen as 'goodwill gesture'
Karachi, Apr 7: Pakistan on Sunday released 100 Indian fishermen as a "goodwill gesture" amidst tensions between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack, media reports said.
The fishermen form the first batch of 360 Indian prisoners Pakistan has announced to set free in four phases this month.
The released prisoners were taken to the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station under heavy security, where they boarded the Allama Iqbal Express for Lahore, The Express Tribune reported.
From Lahore, they would be taken to the Wagah Border for handover to the Indian authorities, it said.
The prisoners were arrested for trespassing into the country's territorial waters and violating international maritime limits.
They were given gifts and provided travel expenses by the Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare organisation in Pakistan, the report said.
On Friday, Pakistan announced that it will release 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, this month in four phases, as a "goodwill gesture".
Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the process of releasing the Indian fishermen will start on April 8 when 100 prisoners will be released.
Another 100 will be released in the second phase on April 15 and in the third phase on April 22, another 100 will be set free. The fourth and last phase on April 29 will see the release of the remaining 60 prisoners.
"We are doing it as a goodwill gesture and hope that India will reciprocate it," Faisal said while addressing his weekly briefing to the media in Islamabad on Friday.
Currently, there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in India and 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, he said.
"Pakistan will release 360 Indian prisoners, of which 355 are fishermen and five are civilians," Faisal said.
Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman of Edhi welfare organisation which helps the released fishermen with clothes and food, told PTI from Karachi on Friday that the process of releasing the fishermen will start from Sunday.
"First a group of 100 fishermen will be taken from Karachi to Lahore on Allama Iqbal Express on Sunday," he said.
They are likely to be handed over to India on Monday at Wagah. They spent months and sometimes years before repatriated.
Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.
Owing to the lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months and sometimes years.
Pakistan's announcement to release the fishermen came amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14.
India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
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Abhishek attacks BJP over UCC impact, pending Kurmali language recognition
Jhargram (WB) (PTI): Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday attacked the BJP over the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the pending recognition of the Kurmali language, making the two issues central to his address at a rally in Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district.
Noting that the BJP promised in its manifesto to impose the UCC if voted to power in West Bengal, Banerjee claimed that it would adversely impact the members of the Scheduled Tribes by overriding their customs and practices.
He also accused the saffron party of trying to divide people along religious lines.
The TMC national general secretary also charged the central government with inaction on the demand to include the Kurmali language, spoken by a large number of people in several parts of the state including Jhargram district, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
He said the TMC government in West Bengal had written to the Centre two months ago seeking its inclusion, but no steps had been taken so far by the Narendra Modi government.
In its manifesto for Bengal, the BJP also promised to include Kurmali and Rajbanshi languages in the Eighth Schedule. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also made the same pledge during a poll rally in Purulia district.
Banerjee alleged that BJP leaders were trying to exploit the Kurmi community's sentiments and mislead people with false promises.
He cautioned women against filling forms for a proposed monthly assistance of Rs 3,000, alleging that no BJP-ruled state has implemented such a scheme despite similar assurances.
In contrast, he highlighted the state's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, under which women receive Rs 1,500 (general category) and Rs 1,700 (SC/ST) per month, irrespective of the number of beneficiaries in a family.
Around 70,000 women in the constituency are availing the benefit in the Gopiballavpur constituency, he said.
Urging voters to back Trinamool Congress in the election, Banerjee said the party guarantees the continuation of welfare schemes, noting the state spends around Rs 38,000 crore annually on Lakshmir Bhandar.
Banerjee also claimed that over 11,000 poor families in the constituency have received Rs 1.2 lakh each under the Banglar Bari housing scheme, and alleged that the Centre had contributed "not even 10 paise" in this regard.
He added that farmers and youth have also benefited from state-run assistance programmes.
Attacking the Centre over inflation, he referred to the rising prices of essential goods like LPG cylinders, petrol and essential commodities, to allege that people were being burdened by increased costs since the BJP had taken over at the Centre.
He also promised direct transfer of pending old-age pensions and expansion of healthcare services through block-level health camps.
Calling the election a fight to "teach the BJP a lesson", Banerjee appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers and ensure a decisive mandate in favour of the Trinamool Congress.
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
