KARACHI: India released 20 Pakistani prisoners earlier this week, some of whom were handed over to a leading social welfare organization in the country on Friday by officials in Lahore to ensure their safe return to their families.
Indian and Pakistani nationals living near the border separating the two countries can sometimes stray into each other’s territories and are routinely detained by the authorities.
The situation is even more difficult for fishermen in both countries since the frontier dividing the territorial waters of the two nuclear-armed states is not always clear. Many of these people are routinely held by the maritime agencies on both sides for illegal intrusions while these individuals venture into the Arabian Sea only to secure their livelihood.
Speaking to Arab News over the phone from Lahore, Salman Nazir, a spokesperson of the Edhi Foundation, confirmed 20 Pakistani prisoners were released by India this week who were interrogated by Pakistani authorities to ascertain their identities.
“India has released 20 inmates,” he said. “Ten have gone to their homes in Punjab while the other ten, who belong to Sindh, were handed over by paramilitary Rangers to the Edhi Foundation.”
“Out of these 10 individuals, nine are fishermen who belong to Thatta and Badin district of Sindh,” he continued.
Earlier this month, Pakistani officials released around 200 Indian fishermen from one of its prisons in the southern part of the country.
The detainees expressed happiness over their release while calling for improvement in the ties between the two neighboring countries.
“[Land] borders are known, but one cannot see border in the sea,” Mohsin Qasim, a fisherman from the Indian state of Gujarat who was detained in 2018, told Arab News. “If [bilateral] relations are good, everyone will benefit. The masses of both countries will benefit.”
India released 20 Pakistani prisoners this week, says social welfare organization
https://arab.news/g2nfh
India released 20 Pakistani prisoners this week, says social welfare organization
- Ten prisoners were handed over to the Edhi Foundation by Pakistani authorities after interrogation
- All the prisoners have been sent back to their homes in the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
