Sunday, March 20 2005 19:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Karachi: Pakistan today (March 20, 2005) released 529 Indian fishermen held since last year for illegally fishing in its territorial waters of Arabian Sea, a senior Government official said.

"We are releasing 529 fishermen and four other Indian prisoners today after we received orders from President General Pervez Musharraf," Ghulam Mohammad Mohtaram, head of southern Sindh province's home department told sources in Karachi.

The four Indian citizens were detained for illegal entry, he said, adding the release was a "goodwill gesture" to neighbouring India.

The fishermen would leave Karachi for Lahore by train later today from where they would be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah land border crossing tomorrow (March 21, 2005) Mohtaram said.

Pakistani authorities are holding 800 Indian fishermen, while some 108 Pakistani fishermen are behind bars in India on similar charges.

In January Pakistan released 266 Indian fishermen who spent over a year in jail in Pakistan after straying into its territorial waters, Mohtaram said.

Pakistani authorities have decided that in future Indian fishermen arrested for violating its territorial limits would be released swiftly on "humanitarian grounds" but their boats would be impounded.

At present Pakistan's maritime security agency has seized 159 Indian boats.

"We'll not release their boats to discourage them to fish in our waters," Mohtaram said.