Families Of Seven Fishermen Languishing In Pakistani Jail Await Govt Support

The families of the fishermen filed many complaints with the administration to free their earning members but no action is seen yet to free them.

Chennai:In December 2023, seven fishermen from Tamil Nadu went to the sea from Bor Bandar fishing port in Gujarat. Their family got information on December 28 that they were arrested by the Pakistan Navy for straying into the international water.

The families made various efforts to rescue them, but no action has been taken so far. In this situation, Nanjil Ravi, the president of the All Fishermen's Association, has submitted a petition requesting that the central and state governments take proactive steps to rescue the fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails.

"On the 15th day after the birth of our child, my husband went to the sea for fishing. There is no information about him for the last 11 months. Without income, we are living in a situation where I don't have money to buy milk for the baby. My husband's mother is also ill, so I am struggling to save my husband and family," Jamuna, the wife of Asokan, who is in jail, told ETV Bharat.

"When I got the information that my husband was in jail, I went to the police station and filed a complaint to take steps to rescue him. However, they said the complaint should be filed with the commisionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamil in Chennai. Due to this, we went to Ezhilakam and filed a complaint to rescue my husband," Dhanabakyam, wife of Aruldas who is also in jail, said.

She said that no action was taken even after three months of filing the complaint. "Despite filing complaints at all places, including the fisheries department, no action has been taken to rescue my husband," she added.

Nanjil Ravi, president of the All Fishermen's Association, said, "Seven fishermen from Tamil Nadu including one from Kanyakumari and six from Kasimedu, along with eight from Gujarat, who went for fishing last December were apprehended by the Pakistan Navy for fishing across the border".

Seven people from Tamil Nadu -- Antony Raj, Arul Das, Karunakaran, Ashok, Balamurugan, Murugan and Rajan--have been arrested and are loaded in jail. Although their families have filed various complaints, no action has been taken by the government to free them.

For the past 11 months, their job has been to run from pillar to post. Fishing in Tamil Nadu seashore fetches Rs 30,000 to 50,000 per month while in other states it can go up to Rs one lakh.

Nanji said the district collectors under the supervision of the chief minister are supposed to meet the affected families in person and provide Rs 350 per day. However, the families say no daily allowance has been given to them for 11 months. So far no MP or MLA has visited them. External affairs minister S Jaishankar is also insisting that action should be taken to rescue the fishermen by speaking to Pakistan's external affairs ministry.