KARACHI Pakistan has released as many as 100 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture, reviving hope among the national fishermen community for the same response from the Indian authorities towards its held seamen. The fishermen were released from District Jail Malir, Karachi on the order of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as a goodwill gesture. The Indian fishermen were to be released last Wednesday but authorities said they had been forced to delay this because New Delhi had failed to make timely travel arrangements for the detainees and their release order was halted on the request of Indian government just 30 minutes before their freedom. Committee for the Welfare of Women Prisoners Legal Aid Office headed by Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid is bearing travel expenses of the released fishermen who have also been given Rs200 Indian currency notes each. On Friday, two buses carried the Indian fishermen from the jail in Karachi to Lahore where they were expected to arrive Saturday (today) and be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border post on the same day. A total 529 fishermen are still in Pakistani prisons and on Friday one of them died of cancer. Chief Medical Officer of Landhi Jail Dr Mazhar Memon told TheNation that Sarkan Sona, 80, was arrested on March 2009, while entering into Pakistani area of sea along with others. He was admitted to the jail hospital just two months after his detention as he was suffering from tuberculosis, and later he had been shifted to Civil Hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer and expired. The authorities said his body would be handed over to the Indian authorities after fulfilling the legal formalities. India still has to hand over the body of a Pakistani fishermen, Noor Alam, 60, who died during his detention in Jam Nagar prison a week ago. It bears mentioning here that the released Indian fishermen were arrested three years ago by Maritime Security Agency for entering Pakistani territorial waters illegally. They were sentenced to three years under Foreigners Act. It is to be noted that exchange of prisoners had been taking place between the two countries, but the process was halted following last years Mumbai attacks. The Pakistani authorities as well as bodies of fishermen hope that such goodwill gesture would also be adopted by the Indian government. India in 2007 released 10 Pakistani fishermen while 165 were released in 2005.