Pakistan frees 151 Indian prisoners; Modi welcomes move

Islamabad, May 25:

on Sunday released 151 Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture ahead of Prime Minister

's visit to New

to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi, officials said.

The Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, were freed from a jail in the port city of Karachi. They will be handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah border Monday, the officials said.

The fishermen were arrested for illegally entering Pakistani waters and fishing, Xinhua reported.

Pakistan and India routinely arrest fishermen from entering each other's waters for fishing. They enter other's waters as there is no determination of maritime boundaries.

Freed Indian prisoners told reporters outside the Karachi's Malir jail that they are happy at their release. They also said they were treated well and were not subjected to torture.

I welcome the step by Sri Lanka & Pakistan to release our fishermen. I welcome our fishermen brothers back home!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 25, 2014

Modi invited heads of all the member states of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) for his swearing-in ceremony. The invitation to Sharif was attached great importance in view of tense ties between the two neighbours.

IANS