As many as 20 Indian fisherman captive in Pakistan for the last five years were released in a gesture of goodwill on Sunday.

They had been arrested for alleged illegal fishing in the country’s waters and had since been languishing in jail.

The fishermen were lodged at the Malir district jail in the Landhi area of Karachi. They were sent to Lahore from where they will head to the Wagah border and will be handed over to Indian authorities, reports stated.

The superintendent of the jail, Muhammad Irshad said that the fishermen were released on orders from the federal government.

He said, “They were in jail for the last five years. Today, they were handed over to the Edhi trust which will be responsible for taking them to Lahore under police escort.”

The fishermen had been arrested by the Maritime Security Force in June 2018 for fishing in Pakistani waters and had been jailed since.

All the expenses and travelling of the Indian fishermen were being taken care of by them, said Faisal Edhi, the head of the welfare foundation.

It may be noted that Edhi Trust is a non-profit social welfare organization.