By IANS,
New Delhi: India and Pakistan Thursday explored ideas to provide easy and hassle-free ways of releasing fishermen who stray into either side of the international maritime border.
The joint working group of the two nations headed by their coast guard chiefs met here to deliberate and exchange suggestions to move ahead on the issue of handling of fishermen who inadvertently cross maritime borders, according to Indian officials.
The meeting was co-chaired by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Director General Rear Admiral Wassem Akram.
“The group undertook preliminary discussions on the issue and recognised the need for addressing the humanitarian aspect of inadvertent crossing of maritime borders by legitimate fishermen,” a coast guard statement said.
“The discussions were fruitful in mutual exchange of ideas and deliberating way ahead in evolving a suitable mechanism for release of such fishermen and their boats,” it said.
The meeting also acknowledged that “focused approach and sustained efforts” of the group needs to be continued.
The group met here in accordance with the decision taken during talks between India’s home and Pakistan’s interior secretaries held on March 28-29 last year, when both sides agreed to task their respective coastal security agencies to work on creating the mechanism for release of straying fishermen and their boats.