Author: Harit Mehta
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 12, 2003
Rajkot/Ahmedabad: Barely a month
after the president of BJP's Diu unit, Laxman Punja Charaniya. recovered
his fishing boat 'Gangotri', which was taken away by the pakistan Marine
Agency, He lost it again . Mr.Charaniya had spent Rs 2.5 lakhs on its repairs.
On April 6, 'Gangotri' was taken
away again by the agency with the same sailor on board. Ramjibhai Ukarda
was fishing on the high seas off the Jakhau port when he was picked up.
And Ukarda is not the only one who is now in Pakistani custody.
Fishermen's associations in Saurashtra
say that as many as 167 fishermen and 39 fishing boats have been 'kidnapped'
by the Pak agency since early March and fishermen of Gujarat are worried
over the increasing frequency of such swoops by the agency which, they
say, take place in Indian waters.
It was only on March 1, 2003 that
218 fishermen with 44 badly damaged boats were re-turned to India by Pakistan
but since then scores of fishermen have been kidnapped. Pakistan claims,
and so does India, that fishermen on both sides often cross borders, which
is difficult to demarcate on the high seas.
"The problem is new. The agencies
over to Indian seas at will and kidnaps Indian fishermen who are put in
jails in Pakistan where the conditions are inhuman. Their families starve
till the kidnapped fishermen are released," says Rajkot-based human rights
activist M.K. Paul.
Fishermen allege that the Indian
government does not seem to bother about their safety. This problem of
kidnapping by Pakistan has continued over the years without any solution.
About 191 fishermen were ar-rested by the agency in 1994-95,24 in 1995-96,
28 in 1996-97 and 73 in 1997-98. However, 158 fishermen were released by
Pakistan in 1997-98. But in 1999-2000, again 115 fisher-men were kidnapped
and 109 were released. In 2000-2001,242 were arrested and 409 were released.
