In order to assess the condition of these fishing boats, the Gujarat Government had in October sent a delegation of officials and fishermen to Karachi. The delegation was, however, not allowed to meet the Indian prisoners.

An officer of Fisheries Department in Gandhinagar, M K Chaudhary, said, "Of the 379 boats, we were allowed to inspect only 181. While most of these 181 had started rotting, 135 of them were in a repairable state. Though their engines had clogged, some of them can be brought back to India.

The Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, S K Reddy, was accompanying us. When we asked for the details of the boats that had been auctioned and the money they got, the Pakistani authorities refused to part with that information."