In a goodwill gesture the Pakistan government on Monday repatriated 151 Indian fishermen, coinciding with the swearing-in of Narendra Modi as the country's 15th prime minister.
All the fishermen crossed over to India through the land transit route of Attari-Wagah border on the basis of Emergency Travel Certificates issued by the Islamabad-based Indian high commission.
The fishermen had crossed over to Pakistan while fishing in the Arabian Sea and were held captive by the Pakistani coast guard for "illegal" fishing.
Immediately after the repatriation, the medical examination of all prisoners was conducted.
It was an emotional moment for most fishermen as tears rolled down their eyes up on returning to their homeland.
They were brought in an air-conditioned bus from Karachi to Wagah border in Lahore from where they were handed over to Indian authorities.
Besides the fishermen, one civilian prisoner Dinesh from Uttar Pradesh, who had crossed the international border from Rajasthan for greener pastures, was arrested for illegal border crossing in 2012.
A fishermen from Gujarat, Karsoni, said, "It is very difficult to identify the territorial water during fishing in the Arabian Sea," while another fisherman, Lati Lal, said they were released after spending 20 months in Pakistan jail.
Another fishermen, Ramesh, said after repatriation they would not be able to get back to their work as their boats were still in the possession of the Pakistan government.
Pakistan had announced the release of 151 fishermen on the eve of Modi's swearing-in. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is among the heads of state and government of SAARC nations attending the ceremony held in Delhi.
