Updated on Monday, December 01, 2008, 00:00 IST

Vadodara, Dec 01: Pakistani officials had deliberately prevented the 99 Indian fishermen languishing in Karachi jail from meeting the Gujarati delegation which visited Pakistan in mid-October, one of the 99 fishermen who were released on November 26 alleged on Monday.

The 99 fishermen, who were in Amritsar after being released at the Wagah border, reached Vadodara around midnight.

"We were aware of the visit of Veljibhai Masai-led delegation to Pakistan five days before they arrived in Karachi on October 13th last," Mehboob Khan, one of the 99 prisoners released from the custody, told.

But we were not allowed to meet them (the delegation), Khan alleged.

"When we asked them (jail authorities) as to why we were not allowed to meet the visiting delegation they told us that some Pakistani prisoners had attempted to break the jail and run away, he added.

So, we were prevented from meeting the delegation citing security reasons, he informed.

The fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails were eager to meet the members of the Veljibhai delegation to inform them about the acts of violation of human rights and torture being carried out by the jail authorities, Khan said.

The meeting between the members of the delegation and fishermen could have exposed the tall claims of Pakistan that the arrested fishermen were being looked well after in jail, Gujarat Fisheries Minister Dilip Sanghani said.

Bureau Report