Vadodara:
The 163 Indian fishermen released by Pakistan will be handed over to a seven-member Gujarat government team, by Amritsar district collectorate officials tomorrow, a senior Gujarat fisheries department official said.
Gujarat fisheries department superintendent KR Patani said today that the seven-member Gujarat team would include fisheries department officials as well as police personnel, who would escort the fishermen from Amritsar in Punjab to Veraval in Gujarat, where they will be reunited with their family members.
Talking to PTI while leaving for Amritsar from Ahmedabad today, Mr Patani said, "We will reach Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon and until then, the custody of these fishermen will be with the Punjab government."
Pakistan released 163 Indian fishermen from Landhi and Malir jails in Pakistan yesterday, as a goodwill gesture, after a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the Russian city of Ufa.
The released Indian fishermen are expected to arrive in Lahore via the Allama Iqbal Express by the evening today.
After their arrival in Lahore, the fishermen will be transported to the Wagah border where they will be handed over to Indian authorities, the official said.
Since it was a sudden development, it was not possible for the Gujarat team to reach Amritsar tonight to take custody of the released Indian fishermen, Mr Patani said.
According to the latest list exchanged by the two sides, there were 355 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails and 27 Pakistani fishermen lodged in Indian jails, the official added.