Pakistan maritime forces fire at Indian fishermen

Pakistani maritime officials opened fire at an Indian boat carrying five fishermen off Gujarat coast in the Arabian sea. Pak officers had apprehended the fishermen for allegedly trespassing the territory.

Porbandar: A fisherman was injured on Wednesday morning after personnel of Pakistan Marines opened fire on a boat near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Okha in Gujarat. The fishing boat from Porbandar with a five-member crew crossed the IMBL line, after which Pakistan Marines personnel opened fire at them, injuring one fisherman.

The boat had likely crossed the IMBL, and they had an interface with Pakistan Marines, which fired upon them. "From whatever information we have received, a fisherman got injured in the firing," a police officer said.

According to reports, the Pakistan Marine officers detained the fishermen on charges of trespassing the territorial region which led to the mishap. The boat was also damaged and the injured fisherman, identified as Dhirubhai, was immediately taken to the hospital for immediate treatment.

According to the information, the fishermen made an SOS call to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on their radio sets. The ICG contacted their Pakistani counterparts through their normal channel of communication. Pakistan Marines confirmed they had apprehended two boats. Following this, the ICG sent its ship to escort the two boats back.

The Gujarat government had given permission to the fishing industry to operate amid lockdown for coronavirus outbreak.

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