The Pakistan government is considering seeking assistance from India to recover the bodies of 14 fishermen who went missing following the capsizing of their boat near Keti Bandar in Sindh province.
The incident occurred on March 5 when a group of 45 fishermen, hailing from Ibrahim Hyder, a fishing village situated in the Malir district of Sindh, embarked on a fishing expedition. Unfortunately, their boat capsized in the waters of Hijamkro Creek near Keti Bandar in Thatta.
Although 31 of the fishermen were rescued, 14 others remain unaccounted for.
Efforts to locate the missing individuals have been ongoing, with the Pakistan Navy, Maritime Security Agencies, and Edhi Foundation conducting search operations, including the deployment of divers. Despite these efforts, the whereabouts of the 14 fishermen remain unknown.
In light of the situation, Agha Rafiullah, a lawmaker representing the Pakistan Peoples Party, disclosed that he had engaged with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to urge them to reach out to Indian authorities for assistance in locating the missing fishermen. Prime Minister Sharif assured him of the government's commitment to addressing the matter with Indian authorities, expressing concerns that tidal waves might have carried the missing individuals into Indian territorial waters.
Rafiullah, who maintains close ties with the affected fishermen and their families in Ibrahim Hyderi, stressed the importance of cooperation between the two nations in resolving this humanitarian issue.
Kamal Shah, an official from the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, echoed similar concerns, suggesting that the fishermen might have drifted into Indian waters due to the prevailing high waves. Despite extensive search efforts spanning four days, their whereabouts remain elusive.
