Caught in borderless net

At a Rajkot hospital, she is alive but as good as dead with a bleak and miserable future.

Tales like these abound in the closely-knit Kharava fishing community of Veraval and in Okha, Jakhau and Porbandar from where some fishing boats go into the sea never to return again. There is a Ratuben or a Mujiben. Young brides committing suicides, youth abandoning bankrupt families and women falling prey to extreme poverty and desperation.

During the last three months, more than 100 fishermen, including four boys, in 15 fishing boats that left from various ports of Saurashtra have been apprehended by the Pakistani authorities. The district collectorates or the Indian Coast Guard have very sketchy information.

Sailing on slow motorboats with redundant navigational aids and a gut instinct seasoned by years at sea, these fishermen sometimes cross into hostile territories only to hear a heart-stopping siren even as boats of Pakistan Marine security agency surround them and tow them away alongwith their boats. Those who are lucky manage to scrape back while the fate of others remains unknown.

More than 400 fishermen who have been detained during the last three years by Pakistan. Recently, after a lot of efforts, about 56 boys were released. There are reports that some fishermen who fell sick in the jails have died.

“There is no demarcation in the waters which can warn our fishermen. Many boats stray away while following fish and are generally taken into custody by Pakistani Coast Guard or Agency. Sometimes we do not come to know for days unless other fishing boats come back and report if they have witnessed it,” says Premji Khokhri.

However, in midst of all the misery, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to pakistan seems to have raised a lot of hope and expectation in Saurashtra. “We were informed by the boat association that if both prime ministers become friendly, pakistan might agree to release all the prisoner,” says Hogabhai, a fisherman.

“The release of the two salaya boats within a few days of the detention as a good will gesture also raised a lot of hopes that our men will return home soon,” says Haroon Jam.

“In fact our relations with Haji Bhutto, head of a fishermen’s body in Karachi, have also improved considerably after Vajpayee’s visit. We are in touch with him and often discuss the progress being made on each side to secure the release of the fishermen,” Jam told The Indian Express.

Says Porbandar-based secretary of the National Fish Workers Forum Premji Khokhri: there is a lot hope among us that the prime minister’s visit will yield some results. Today also the talks are on between external affairs officials and if the PM’s visit has done any good our men should be back soon.