Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PPFPD) has urged both the neighboring countries to release and repatriate fishermen held in prisons in Pakistan and Indian jails in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter addressed to S Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, Indian Government and Mr Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Government of Pakistan on April 17, PPFPD said these fishermen were held for non-heinous crimes and should be released and repatriated immediately as there was risk of Coronavirus spreading in the overcrowded jails in India and Pakistan.
“We are all going through a difficult time. The challenge before all of us, like other nations, is not only to save our citizens, but also those of the world, from the COVID‐19. We are pleased to know that both our governments are taking significant steps to save the people. This is also a time that we should think of human beings beyond national borders. As you will agree, humanity, beyond national interests, must come first,” the letter said.
“We at PPFPD believe it is necessary to activate the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to fight COVID‐19 in a coordinated and comprehensive way. In this context, the meeting of SAARC leaders called by Indian PM Narendra Modi over video was significant and is yielding results. The funds are generated and already some positives moves like dispatching medicines and other medical equipment to countries’ needs most are taking place.”
“We urge that India and Pakistan prioritize each other and SAARC at this time, and not make much required SAARC processes a victim of existing governmental hostilities. Towards this, we urge both governments to hold dialogue at the highest level and step back from border skirmishes and violence in land and water,” the letter further said.
PPFPD appreciates that keeping in mind the overcrowded prisons and the possibility of infection, the Supreme Court and the central and state governments in India as well as government of Pakistan have taken steps to release certain kind of prisoners from its prisons on parole or furlough. Such kinds of steps are absolutely necessary to fight this deadly infection. “We, therefore, request that such relief measures be made applicable in the case of prisoners from each other’s countries too.”
The family members of arrested fishermen, women and other prisoners languishing in each other’s prisons are deeply concerned for their loved ones. Communication between the families and prisoners does not take place even during normal times and these are difficult times. The family members are tense and desperate to see their jailed relatives back with them. The prisons in both the countries are overcrowded. To fight coronavirus one need to keep ‘physical distance’. It is necessary that both the countries release the prisoners and facilitate their transportation back
through the Wagah/Attari border.
PPFPD has demanded that the Governments of India and Pakistan should immediately release and repatriate all fishermen languishing in each other country’s prisons as they entered each other’s water territory ‘inadvertently’ (Charges against them are non-‐serious in nature).
PPFPD also demanded that Release all women prisoners should be released and repatriated from the custody of each other countries, besides releasing
and repatriating all other prisoners who are not charged in serious cases.
Both the Governments must hold dialogue at the highest levels to resolve the violent misadventures on the Kashmir LoC, which has led to heavy militarisation of border villages, violations of the ceasefire and death of civilians and armed forces personnel. “We demand both the governments to withdraw from such border skirmishes. We also demand that arrests and violence against fishermen at sea is put on hold with immediate effect.
The letter is signed by Dr I A Rehman Mohd. Tahseen (Pakistan chapter)
and Dr Syeda Hameed, Tapan Bose and Jatin Desai, Convenor, Committee on Prisoners concerns) (India Chapter) of PPFPD.
