Version imprimablePRESS RELEASE
Issued after the Urgent Press Conference convened online by the Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy on 17th October 2025
‘Modiji, give us back our Diwali’: fisherwomen from Gujarat demand Government of India and Pakistan to release the innocent Fishworkers languishing in jails
The Press Conference was organised by PIPFPD as an urgent measure to demand the immediate release of Indian and Pakistani fishermen who have been incarcerated in each other’s jails for crossing maritime boundaries. As of date 193 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistan’s Malir jail and about 33 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in different Indian jails. Altogether 246 Indian civilian prisoners are in Pakistan jails and 363 civilian Pakistani persons are in Indian jails.
The speakers are the press conference included senior journalist and campaigner on the issue, Jatin Desai (Mumbai), the PIPFPD Pak chapter convener Mohd Tahseen (Lahore), Pakistan Fisherfolk leader Saeed Baloch (Karachi), and community leaders from Gujarat and Diu, including Chagan bhai, Balubhai and Jivan Jungi. Family members of the imprisoned fishermen who are languishing in Pak jails also addressed the media from Porbandar, Diu, Una and other affected areas on the Indian side of water boundaries. The online PC was moderated by Vijayan MJ, General Secretary of PIPFPD India chapter - who also gave an opening briefing on the issue to media.
The Press Conference was also attended by civic activists, Fisher community and union leaders and also members of the media and film making fraternity. The participants included Arun Mohan, whose significant documentary film on the issue, ‘Boundaries’ has been an important source to understand the contours of the issue.
🔗 [https://youtu.be/BnxkBUuJrm8?si=2NJa8QhOVzrGZjfQ]
The following are the key demands posed by the Press Conference:
1. Immediate release of Indian and Pakistani fishermen and other civilian prisoners who have completed their legal sentencing for Passports Act violation, or any other relevant charges. The PC demanded that such prisoners who have spent more than 6-8 times their actual sentences be immediately released!
2. Immediate resumption and rejuvenation of the Joint Judicial Committee mechanism to prevent abuses on fisher and civilian prisoners. The Joint Judicial Committee mechanism was created by the Foreign Ministries of India and Pakistan in 2008, but have been made inactive and irrelevant by governmental withdrawal since October 2013, when the last meeting was held in India!
3. Stop the bureaucratic red-tapism on nationality verification of arrested persons and accelerate verification as soon as details of arrest are made.
4. Implement the 2008 Consular Access Agreement in letter and spirit.
5. Open up communication channels for fishers imprisoned in foreign country jails.
6. Stop arresting fishers for cross border fishing. Both countries must accept the joint waters zone of India and Pakistan.
7. India and Pakistan must immediate work together to reach a practical solution in order to protect the lives and livelihoods of the traditional fishing community. We demand that a ‘No Arrest Policy’ be reached in the interim and both countries work towards a permanent maritime economic cooperation agreement, to save the fishers from harassment and torture.
8. The current Prime Minister Modi had promised the fishers that he will make sure no Indian fishers are arrested by Pakistan - way back in September 2013! It has been 11 years since Mr. Modi, representing the Gujarat state, whose citizens are most impacted by the arrest at sea, have become the Prime Minister of India. No significant action has been taken in these years by his government.
Fisher families demanded the PM that he immediately assure the release of their family members from Pakistani jails. Savita behen, whose husband and brother have been in Pakistan jails since 2021, lamented the loss of male income earning members of the family to issues between countries! “For the last four years, they have stolen our Diwali! We demand Modi ji that our Diwali be returned to us“, she said. Savita was joined by Moti behen, Lakshmi, Kamla and others from different districts.
We demand that the Fishworkers and civilian prisoners be immediately released from both countries. We also demand UN bodies and Human Rights bodies of both countries to actively come to the rescue of the fisher people.
Statement issued by:
Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD)
along with Fisher Peoples Unions
Date: 18th October 2025
Contact:
📧 pipfpd.india[at]gmail.com
🌐 pipfpd.info
