The fishermen in Arabian Sea ensnared by India-Pakistan rivalry: ‘our families suffer the most’
- Every year, poor fishermen in coastal India and Pakistan are arrested for venturing into the other nation’s maritime boundary lines while looking for better catch
- Many languish in jail long after their sentences end, leaving their families destitute and despondent amid the lack of political will by the rival nations to address the issue
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
For seven years, Indian fisherman Ravibhai Babubhai Bariya, 30, made his living taking his trawler out into the Arabian Sea and selling his catch in his village in western Gujarat state.
His work brought in an average income of 18,000 Indian rupees (US$220) per month, which his parents relied upon completely.
But one fateful day in 2018, he and his crew of seven were apprehended by Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing within the country’s waters, and then jailed – an incident so shocking, his ailing father took a turn for the worse and later died of a heart attack.
“Ravi was our sole breadwinner,” said Bhanuben, Bariya’s 65-year-old mother. “After his arrest, managing day-to-day expenses and paying for his father’s treatment became very challenging. Each visit to the hospital would cost us 2,000 Indian rupees (US$24), making it financially difficult for us.”
Every year, fishermen from India and Pakistan venture into the other nation’s maritime boundary lines and end up getting arrested. As they serve out their prison sentences, their relatives are left grappling with economic hardship.