Executive Summary
The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) report examines the prolonged detention of Indian and Pakistani fishermen who unintentionally cross the poorly demarcated maritime boundary near Sir Creek. It explains how poverty, lack of GPS/navigation equipment, harsh sea conditions, and the unresolved India–Pakistan boundary dispute contribute to these arrests. Detainees often remain imprisoned even after completing their sentences because of delays in nationality verification, consular access, and repatriation. The report highlights NCHR’s intervention in 2023, which helped secure the repatriation of more than 650 Indian fishermen, contributing to 2,661 repatriations since 2014. It recommends reviving the India–Pakistan Joint Judicial Committee, creating a public database of foreign prisoners, establishing fixed repatriation procedures, and assigning government focal persons to handle cross-border detainee cases.
