The 20 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh, who were released by Pakistan on Monday, said their 14-month experience was like 'hell'.
The 20 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh, who were released by Pakistan on Monday, said their 14-month experience was like 'hell'.
These fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities on January 6, and through Wagah, they were brought to Delhi and then to capital Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh.
Narrating their trauma, the fishermen said they inadvertently entered into Pakistani waters from Gujarat coast where they were working for local fishermen to catch fish. "We don't even want to remember the trauma we had undergone," one of the fishermen said.
These fishermen who are from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh which is on the eastern coast ended up going to as far as Gujarat on the western coast to earn a livelihood. It is estimated that a few thousand fishermen from southern states are still working on the coast of Gujarat.
"We don't have ports and jetties on our coast and that's the reason we have to migrate to other places to earn our livelihood," lamented another fisherman adding "if we have facilities here why would we risk ourselves somewhere else."
The fishermen also thanked Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government. Ever since they went missing in November 2018 and it was found that they were picked up by Pakistani Coast Guard and put in jails, the Andhra Pradesh government has been following up till the release with the Centre.
"To begin with, we are going to expedite the construction of jetties on our coasts. We will also soon take up Bhavanipadu port construction," Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy informed while meeting the released fishermen at his office in Amaravati today.
The Andhra Pradesh government has given financial assistance of Rs five lakh each to these released fishermen.
However, there are still two more fishermen from Andhra Pradesh in Pakistani jail apart from eight others in Bangladesh jails for whom the Andhra Pradesh government says they will continue to follow-up with Centre for their release.
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 "Pakistan jails are 'hell', say released Andhra Pradesh fishermen")
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