Pakistan will free 266 Indian fishermen from a Karachi jail who were arrested last year for illegal entry and fishing in the Arabian Sea, officials said Sunday. "The fishermen are being released following negotiations between officials of the two countries," said Ali Akbar, an official from Sindh province where Karachi is the capital. Akbar said the fishermen will be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah, the main land border crossing between Pakistan and India. The prisoners were scheduled to be moved by train later Sunday to the eastern city of Lahore, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Wagah, where they will be kept in another jail until the Indian embassy issues them temporary travel documents, he said. Akbar didn't say when the fishermen would be repatriated, but the head of a private Indian group working for their freedom said they were expected to return home later this week. Prem Ji Modi, head of the Sagar Kheut or Sea Farmer Welfare Trust, was in Karachi leading a seven-member delegation for talks on the fishermen's release. He said 629 other Indian fishermen were still being held in Pakistan. India is reportedly holding more than 100 Pakistani fishermen. Pakistan and India routinely arrest each other's fishermen after accusing them of border violations and illegal fishing. Many go without trials and wait years before being released.
