18 fishermen released by Pak reunite with kin

Eighteen Indian fishermen, who were recently released from Pakistan, were on Thursday reunited with their families, a Gujarat state official said. “Soon after their arrival at the Vadodara Railway Station late last night, they were interrogated by investigative agencies to verify their identity. After that, they were taken to the coastal town of Veraval in Gir Somnath district, where they met their family members,” said Superintendent of Fisheries Department Ashok Patel.

A team, led by Patel, had received these fishermen at Wagah Border last Monday and they arrived here in a train late Wednesday night from Amritsar. 

Some of these fishermen alleged that they were beaten up by the jail authorities in Pakistan for raising demand of their early release after completion of their terms. They were held for illegally entering Pakistani waters. 

Bharat, one of the released fishermen, said, "My jail term had got over in 2014. When I took up the issue of my release, the Karachi jail authorities started beating me.