KARACHI, Sept 27: Relatives of the fishermen languishing in Indian prison since long took out a protest rally from the Sindh Assembly building to the Karachi Press Club on Monday and demanded the immediate release of their loved ones.

The relatives, mostly women and children hailing from the coastal villages ofThatta and Karachi, led the rally with hundreds of activists associated with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) and representatives of other civil society organisations.

Carrying banners and placards, the participants of the rally shouted slogans against the prolonged captivity of their relatives in the Indian prisons and demanded their release.

The protesters demanded the authorities to get back the body of a 22-year-old Pakistani fisherman, Ibrahim Mallah, belonging to a village in Keti Bunder, Thatta district, who died in an Indian jail some 15 days back just before his release.

The grief-stricken relatives of the deceased fisherman, who were earlier very excited to receive him upon his homecoming, now worried about a delay in the arrival of his body to perform last rites as per their traditions. The victim’s mother, Mai Karima, his wife Ayesha and his daughter were among the participants of the rally.

Ibrahim Mallah was caught along with six other fishermen on April 5, 2010 while they were busy in fishing. He was arrested by the Indian authorities and lodged in the joint interrogation cell with other fishermen, including his two cousins. “He was shocked just before being released and died instantly.”

When the rally reached outside the Sindh Assembly, Chief Minister’s Adviser Mohammed Amin Mengal met the PFF leaders and assured that he would arrange a meeting with the CM within three days where they could discuss the issues of the community. Upon his assurance, the protest rally marched on to the KPC where it was culminated peacefully.

Earlier, the Pakistan government had released 442 Indian fishermen following the directives of the Supreme Court. The PFF and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research had filed a petition in the apex court for the release of the Indian fishermen. The Indian government also released 31 Pakistani prisoners from jails, including eight fishermen.

The PFF claimed that there were 158 Pakistani fishermen languishing in different jails in India. Of them, 58 had completed their jail terms, but the Pakistani authorities were delaying a process to verify their citizenship.

PFF chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah, Secretary Saeed Baloch, Tahira Ali and others addressed the rally and urged the government to use diplomatic channels to ensure the early arrival of the body of the deceased Pakistani fisherman.

They said that both the countries have failed to address the controversial issue of Sir Creek, which divided the sea territories between the two neighbouring countries, since 1965.

They believed that tensions between the two countries intensified after the 1965 war and since then the sea had become a virtual restricted territory for poor fishermen.

They said that demarcation pillars in the open sea were invisible to fishermen of both countries and, hence, they always paid the price of the rivalry between Pakistan and India over Sir Creek issue.

The leaders said that the Kajir Creek and Harami Dhoro were in Pakistani territorial waters, but the Indian forces usually arrested Pakistani fishermen from these points.

The fishermen, they said, have small vessels, which were being targeted by the border forces, who deprived them of their fish catch, boats and fishing tools.

They said that several fishermen were said to have been missing and their names did not have come to the lists the two countries exchanged with each other.