We Are Poor, Release Children: Families Appeal As ICG Detains 11 Pakistani Fishermen Near Gujarat Coast

Indian maritime authorities this week arrested 11 Pakistani fishermen, including two teenage boys, after their fishing boat was found inside Indian territorial waters near Jakhau on the Gujarat coast. Several media reports said the Indian Coast Guard intercepted the vessel on Wednesday (December 10, 2025), citing illegal fishing within Indian waters.

The fishermen were taken into custody and are expected to be processed under existing maritime and legal procedures.

Defence PRO Gujarat informed that the ICG on December 10, 2025 apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat with 11 crew inside the Indian EEZ. “This interdiction underscores Bhartiya Tatrakshak’s sustained maritime operations and India’s commitment to securing its maritime frontiers while maintaining robust enforcement of international maritime laws within the MZI.”

Families in Karachi seek humanitarian relief

Back in Pakistan, families of the detained fishermen have appealed for their immediate release through diplomatic channels, stressing that those arrested are poor fishermen who depend entirely on the sea for survival.

Ahmed Brohi, father of one of the detained men, Ghulam Mustafa, said all the fishermen belong to Ibrahim Hyderi, a fishing village in western Karachi. “We are poor people and earn our livelihood from fishing. We have already suffered a lot in the past,” he said, urging the Pakistani government to intervene.

Accidental crossing near disputed waters?

The Sindh Fisheries Department suggested that the fishermen may have inadvertently crossed the maritime boundary. Department chairperson Fatima Majeed said the arrests likely occurred near Kajar Creek, close to the Sir Creek region, where there is no clear demarcation at sea between India and Pakistan.

She explained that many fishermen from both sides are detained in this area due to unclear maritime borders in the marshy waters off Gujarat and southern Sindh.

Minors among the detained fishermen

According to Pakistani officials, two boys aged 12 and 15, identified as Zaheer and Habib, are among those detained. Majeed urged Indian authorities to release the minors on humanitarian grounds, calling their detention particularly distressing for their families.

Fishermen arrests a recurring issue

Advocacy group Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum said the latest incident has raised the number of Pakistani fishermen in Indian prisons to around 74. Historically, India and Pakistan have periodically exchanged detained fishermen, but rights groups note that the process has slowed since last year amid heightened bilateral tensions. Families say several fishermen arrested in earlier years remain incarcerated, highlighting the human cost of unresolved maritime boundary issues between the two neighbours.