Indian fishermen who had been captured by Pakistan maritime forces saved the lives of two Pakistani personnel when their boat capsized near Gujarat coast reports, including PTI, said on Wednesday. The incident took place while the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency officials were taking the Indians to Karachi. However, three of Pakistan’s officers drowned, while one’s body has not yet been recovered.
The Gujarat Police have confirmed that they were informed about Monday’s incident, but the Indian Coast Guard has yet to release a statement about the same.
Pakistan on Tuesday released seven boats and around 60 fishermen they had captured on Monday, after the Indians are believed to have saved the lives of their captors. “Earlier, we received reports that PMSA had captured seven boats and 42 fishermen,” National Fishworkers Forum secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI. “However, there were actually 10 boats and 60 fishermen in that area. Since our fishermen saved lives of their officers and recovered the bodies, PMSA decided to release the 60-odd fishermen yesterday.”
The Indian Coast Guard later retrieved bodies of three Pakistani officers of the four who had drowned, and handed them over to Islamabad, reports said. The are still looking for the fourth officer.
The Indian fishermen were captured reportedly in Indian waters, which makes the action on Pakistan’s part illegal. “We were informed about the incident and also about missing Pakistan commando by the Indian Coast Guard and other authorities,” AK Jadeja, IG of Gujarat’s border range told The Hindu.
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