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Worldnews

Jailed For Fishing: India-Pakistan Tensions Trap Families In Debt, Poverty

Families on both sides of the border say their loved ones have been jailed for a crime they committed ‘unknowingly’. Diu, India – Boxes of sweets are being passed around as cheers and joy surround Rajeshwari Rama’s brick house, insulated with tin sheets, in the Vanakbara village of Diu, a federally-controlled island along the India-Pakistan coastline near Gujarat state in western India. Rama’s relatives and friends are talking at the top of their voices as they celebrate the release of her husband, fisherman Mahesh Rama, from the Landhi jail in neighbouring Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, in February this year. Among the attendees is Laxmiben Solanki, 36, standing quietly in one corner. She does not taste the sweets. She is only marking her presence there, but remains preoccupied with thoughts of her husband, Premji Solanki. Premji, 40, has also been in Pakistan’s Landhi jail since December 2022, along with several other Indian fishermen. Their crime: crossing a disputed border in the Arabian Sea, which divides the South Asian nuclear powers and sworn enemies, for fishing. In February, Pakistan released 22 Indian fishermen who had been imprisoned by Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency between April 2021 and December 2022, while they were fishing off the coast of Gujarat – also the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Three of those released are from Diu, 18 from Gujarat, and the remaining one person from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Though India and Pakistan share a heavily militarised land border, their International Maritime Boundary Line in the Arabian Sea is also largely disputed, especially in a zone called Sir Creek, a 96km (60-mile) tidal estuary that separates India’s Gujarat and Pakistan’s Sindh provinces. It is in this patch that fishermen from both India and Pakistan wander into deeper waters, often without realising they have entered foreign territory. Due to the terrain of the disputed territory, there is no border fencing, with a marshland acting as a natural boundary between the two nations. Several years and rounds of diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan have not been able to resolve the dispute, which has even seen military tensions between them. In 1999, India shot down a Pakistani aircraft carrying 16 naval officers over the alleged violation of Indian airspace near their maritime border. The incident occurred just a month after the two countries fought a war in Kargil, a snowy district in Indian-administered Kashmir. On March 17, India’s Ministry of External Affairs revealed that out of 194 Indian fishermen currently imprisoned in Pakistan, 123 are from Gujarat. According to the Indian government, it has 81 Pakistani fishermen in its custody. Families on both sides say their loved ones have been jailed for a crime they committed “unknowingly” – because they did not know they had ventured inside waters claimed by another country. Pakistan released Mauji Nathubhai Bamaniya, 55, in February because his osteoporosis had gotten worse. “I still can’t believe that I am sitting in my house, in my country, with my family. My decaying bones brought me back to my homeland,” Bamaniya tells Al Jazeera in Vanakbar village. Another fisherman, Ashok Kumar Solanki, is also back at home in Ghoghla village in Diu. He has hearing and speaking impairments and was among the 22 fishermen released on health grounds. But it is the families of those still imprisoned in Pakistan that find themselves caught in a cycle of recurring debt and debilitating anxiety. In another house, hidden amid palm trees in Vanakbara, Kantaben Chunilal, 60, looks with tired eyes at the dusty path leading to her home. She has been waiting for her son, Jashvant, since December 2022. Jashvant was barely 17 when he was arrested by Pakistani forces. He was the family’s sole breadwinner. Kantaben says she feels too ashamed to ask her relatives for more loans to fill the empty grain jars in her kitchen. She has borrowed nearly 500,000 rupees ($5,855) from several relatives for sustenance. “The government offers us a financial aid of $3 per day. It is not even half of what our men would earn,” she tells Al Jazeera. Out of desperation, Kantaben says she sometimes randomly visits relatives during mealtimes, hoping they will accommodate her as a guest and she may save some money that day. In the same village, Aratiben Chavda married fisherman Alpesh Chavda in 2020. Less than a year later, Alpesh was arrested by Pakistani forces while he was out fishing in the Sir Creek area. Aratiben tells Al Jazeera their 3-year-old son Kriansh, born about four months after Alpesh’s arrest, has never seen his father. “We make him see his father’s photos, so that one day, when Alpesh comes back, my child can recognise him,” she says, sobbing. Aratiben’s house is shaded by palm and coconut trees, insulating her and her son from India’s scorching heat. But there is no escaping the poverty that has gripped the household. Selling the refrigerator her parents had given her as a wedding gift supported her for about two months during the winter of 2023. Aratiben and her mother-in-law, Jayaben, also sell vegetables at the local market, making about $5 to $7 on good days. But she says there are too many days in between when they are unable to afford two meals. Indian activists and fishermen’s unions have been campaigning for the release of all the fishermen imprisoned by Pakistan. Chhaganbhai Bamania, a social worker in Diu, points out that under Pakistani law, fishermen who stray into that country’s waters should not be sentenced for more than six months. “But due to the hostility between India and Pakistan, citizens are caught in a crossfire for no fault of theirs. Their jail time is increased without them knowing or understanding it,” he says, adding that some Indian fishermen end up spending years behind bars. Bamania says families of jailed fishermen have been writing to top Indian officials to plead for their release, but accuses the government of moving at a “snail’s pace” to try and address their concerns. This pattern of arrests followed by a long wait for release is not new. Some, like 50-year-old Shyamjibhai Ramji, are repeat visitors to Pakistani jails. Ramji was arrested three times between 2000 and 2014. When he was released for a third time from a Karachi jail, his son made him swear he would never venture into the sea, “not even in his dreams or rather, nightmares”. “Catching fish is all I know,” he says. “We follow the stars’ movements while casting nets into the sea at night. Once, I wandered away from Okha Port, once from Porbandar Port. There are many like me who have been jailed more than once,” he tells Al Jazeera, referring to two prominent seaports in Gujarat. Ramji says he now prefers looking at the sea from a distance to avoid revisiting the “horrors” he faced in Pakistani custody. “They would keep us separately, away from Pakistani prisoners, and kept asking us the same questions, as if we were terrorists or like we were hiding something. When we said we are vegetarians, they gave us grass and boiled water for food. It was a nightmare every day,” he says. Shekhar Sinha, a retired Indian Navy officer, says the “greed of a larger catch drives fishermen to go beyond that imaginary line on water, often losing track of their exact position”. “Even Pakistani fishermen are arrested in similar circumstances. Generally, they are exchanged, except for those who fail during interrogations and are unable to answer questions properly,” he tells Al Jazeera. As efforts to free civilians on both sides of the border continue, women like Laxmiben hold onto hope, making a new promise to their children every day. Her eyes glisten with tears as she and her three teenage children – a son aged 18 and daughters who are 14 and 13 – await Premji’s release. “I keep telling my children that, ‘Your father will return tomorrow’. But that tomorrow has not happened for four years now. My tongue is tired of lying,” she says as she holds the hands of her elder daughter, Jigna, both looking at the waves hitting the Diu port. Beyond the waters lies Pakistan. And Premji. 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Bitter Truth: Why Has Chocolate Become So Expensive?

High temperatures, ageing trees and disease have lowered cocoa supplies and raised prices. Cocoa prices surged almost 300 percent last year, making chocolate bars, Easter eggs and cocoa powder much more expensive this year than last. In the United States, retail chocolate prices were one-fifth higher this Valentine’s Day compared with last year, according to Wells Fargo Bank. The price of a king-size US-sold Reese’s Hearts chocolate bar was 13 percent higher in February 2024 than in the same month the year before. In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, a Twix white chocolate Easter egg rose in price from 5 to 6 pounds ($6.63 to $7.96) at Tesco supermarkets in the run-up to Easter (year-on-year) and was reduced in size from 316g (11oz) to 258g (9oz). In all, the unit price rose by a whopping 47 percent. While the price of cocoa – the key ingredient in chocolate made from roasted raw cacao beans – has fallen back by about 20 percent since its all-time high in December 2024, consumers are still paying record prices for chocolate. The spike in the price of cocoa can be chalked up to several factors. Chief among them is extreme weather, which has hit cocoa producers in West Africa, from where most of the world imports cocoa. According to Amber Sawyer, an analyst at the environmental think tank Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), expensive chocolate should not come as a surprise. “Chocolate is just one of the many foods being made more expensive by climate change-driven extreme weather,” she said. “These extremes will keep getting worse.” And so might the prices. Benchmark New York futures contracts, used to exchange cocoa at a specified future date and price, hit a high of $12,565 per metric tonne in December 2024. Last year’s meagre cocoa harvest led to record supply shortfalls, as poor weather and disease devastated crops in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where two-thirds of the world’s cocoa beans are grown. Crop shortages were also observed in Nigeria and Indonesia, the third- and fourth-largest cocoa producers. In all, there was a 500,000-tonne deficit of cocoa in global markets in 2024, which is continuing to keep prices high. The latest cocoa harvest – which ran from October 2024 to March 2025 – did get off to a bright start, with 33 percent more beans arriving at Ivory Coast ports compared with last year, Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch said in a note to clients. But while the New York cocoa futures price is currently hovering at about $8,350 per tonne – a significant drop from December – concerns are growing that the same dry weather that wrecked last year’s crop will take a similarly devastating toll this year, Fritsch said. The uncertainty is taking a toll on chocolate producers. Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut slashed its annual sales forecasts on April 11 due to what it called “unprecedented volatility” in cocoa prices, sending its shares falling almost 20 percent – its biggest ever one-day drop. Volatile weather is one major factor. West Africa experienced extreme rainfall in 2023, with total precipitation more than double the 30-year average in some places, while 2024 saw extreme heat and drought. Many climate scientists point to the El Nino weather phenomenon, which produces warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, as the primary driver for volatile weather patterns. However, they also expect a transition to the La Nina pattern – the cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific every three to five years – to revive cocoa yields at least temporarily. Indeed, the International Cocoa Organization in February forecast a global cocoa surplus of 142,000 megatonnes for 2024-25, the first surplus in four years. That partly explains the recent fall in price. But according to Felipe Pohlmann Gonzaga, a Switzerland-based commodity trader, the larger picture of “climate change is only going to make supply concerns worse” in the longer term. Scientists at the research group Climate Central published a paper this year showing that climate change compromised cacao trees during the harvest season in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Besides changing weather patterns, several other issues are also driving recent price hikes in cocoa. Across West Africa, new deforestation laws have prevented farmers from expanding cocoa plantations, keeping a lid on supply. West Africa is also grappling with an ageing tree stock. “Older trees are not being replaced,” Pohlmann Gonzaga told Al Jazeera. “There has been under-investment in the industry.” At the same time, the spread of the cocoa swollen shoot virus (CSSV) has hit harvests. Tropical Research Services, a market research group, recently found that Ivory Coast cocoa production could halve due to the spread of CSSV. Meanwhile, Ghanaian cocoa farmers are abandoning beans for gold in an illegal mining boom that has hit Ghana’s cocoa production and helped drive up prices. In recent months, investors have been buying up the precious metal to shield themselves from the financial market turmoil unleashed by United States President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. On April 16, gold reached $3,357 per ounce for the first time. As a result, many farmers are selling their holdings to illegal miners who have decimated swaths of land in pursuit of gold. Ghana is Africa’s leading producer of gold – and the sixth-largest globally. “Tariffs have had an impact on the value of commodities, and cocoa is no exception,” says Pohlmann Gonzaga. “At first, you’d think trade levies would reduce demand for cocoa in the US, which is a big consumer.” The US consumes the most chocolate in the world, though the Swiss take that tag for the most per-capita consumption. “But if US consumption persists, that could raise prices. And of course, Trump may drop tariffs [on West African cocoa exporters] in the future, which would probably lead to higher demand.” Pohlmann Gonzaga cited the growing demand for chocolate in East Asia. “We may be seeing a similar trend as with coffee,” he said. China’s coffee consumption, for instance, increased by more than 60 percent between 2019 and 2024. In the near term, Pohlmann Gonzaga said prices are likely to “trend sideways … as these factors can cancel each other out. Volatility will be the word of order for this year”. So far, producers have responded in one of two ways – by passing the higher cost to consumers, or by promoting products with less cocoa or with substitute ingredients. Last year, food giant Nestle introduced a hazelnut flavour to its British Aero line of chocolate bars, which, at 36g (1.3oz), are about one-third the weight of competing chocolate bars. In 2024, agri-food giant Cargill partnered with US chocolate alternatives producer Voyage Foods – which creates cocoa-free bars from grape seeds, sunflower flour and other flavourings – to be its business-to-business distributor. In addition to big companies, startups like Nukoko and Planet A are exploring microbial fermentation techniques to enhance and mimic the aromas and flavours of chocolate. Elsewhere, Dubai chocolate was founded in 2022. Its products are filled with pistachio and tahini and are inspired by kunafa, the chessy, saccharine dessert that is a staple across the Middle East and North Africa. Since coming to market, it has become a social media sensation. If cocoa prices continue rising, “I’d expect to see more and more cocoa substitutes on supermarket shelves. The interesting question is whether consumer tastes will change”, said Pohlmann Gonzaga. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Pope Francis Through The Years: A Life In Pictures

In Pictures Born in Argentina, Francis was the only Latin American pontiff and first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has died. He was 88 years old. Born in Argentina, he was the first Latin American pope as well as the first non-European to serve for more than 1,000 years. He was known for his simple words and humble manner that immediately won over the crowds. After he assumed the papacy in 2013, Francis aimed to make the church more inclusive, opening up key roles to women and trying to address the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics. Analysts, however, remain divided about the success of his efforts. The 88-year-old pontiff was recovering from double pneumonia and was under doctors’ orders to observe two months of convalescence since he left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23. Francis suffered from a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at the age of 21. He became increasingly fragile in recent years. Here are some pictures from his life as pope: Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Who Will Be The Next Pope After Francis? The Selection Process, Whats Next

Potential successors to Pope Francis are Ghana’s Peter Turkson, Luis Tagle of the Philippines and Hungary’s Peter Erdo. Pope Francis died on Monday morning, the Vatican announced, days after he was discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment for a complex respiratory infection. He was 88 years old. His death, 12 years after he was declared pope, has prompted renewed questions about who will succeed him as leader of the Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest religious institutions with up to 1.39 billion followers. Here’s what you need to know about what could come after Pope Francis, whose social justice ideals and global vision have transformed the Church. A successor has yet to be chosen. The College of Cardinals, comprised of senior Catholic clergy – many appointed by Francis himself – will elect the next pope. To be eligible, a candidate must be a baptised, male Roman Catholic, though for centuries, the cardinals have exclusively selected someone from their ranks. There are currently more than 240 cardinals worldwide. They typically hold the title for life. Cardinals below the age of 80, when the pope dies or resigns, vote in what is known as the papal conclave. To prevent outside influence, the conclave locks itself in the Sistine Chapel and deliberates on potential successors. While the number of papal electors is typically capped at 120, there are currently 138 eligible voters. Its members cast their votes via secret ballots, a process overseen by nine randomly selected cardinals. A two-thirds majority is traditionally required to elect the new pope, and voting continues until this threshold is met. After each round, the ballots are burned with chemicals, producing either black or white smoke, signalling to the world about the outcome. Black smoke signals that no decision has been made, while white smoke means a new pope has been elected. Once the pope is elected, a top cardinal announces his name from Saint Peter’s Basilica. It usually happens two or three weeks after the death or resignation of the sitting pope. This allows for a nine-day mourning period and for cardinals to make their way to the Vatican from around the world. The 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, the first pontiff from South America, began just 12 days after the resignation of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. The process can take days, weeks or even longer, depending on how divided the cardinals are. Each day, the conclave can hold up to four rounds of voting to try to achieve the required two-thirds majority. If, after 33 rounds, there is still no decision, the top two candidates face off in a run-off vote. The elections of the last three popes have been relatively quick, with each lasting only several days. But historically, elections have sometimes dragged on much longer, with the papal conclave that elected Pope Gregory X in 1271 taking nearly three years due to fierce political wrangling. Of the 138 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave, a total of 110 were appointed by Pope Francis. This group is notably more diverse than previous electors, with a higher representation from Asia, Africa and Latin America, reflecting Francis’s goal of mirroring the Church’s global reach. The youngest cardinal elector is only 45 years old, a Ukrainian clergyman based in Australia. As a result, there is a possibility that, for the first time in centuries, the next pope could come from Africa or Asia, or another region traditionally underrepresented in the Church’s leadership. Among the African cardinals being discussed are Ghana’s Peter Turkson, the former head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa. Both are committed conservatives who have been vocal advocates for peace in their respective countries. Another strong contender is Philippine Cardinal Luis Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila. Like Pope Francis, Tagle emphasises social justice and caring for the poor. Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is seen as a leading conservative candidate and could serve as a bridge to Eastern Christians. The archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Erdo, is a traditionalist who has championed outreach to Orthodox Christians, stressing the “desperate need” for unity between the churches. Also in the mix is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, whose top diplomatic role ensures he is well known by all cardinals. Other possible candidates include Italy’s Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, and Malta’s Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, a position that kept him in close contact with Pope Francis. During the “sede vacante” (vacant seat) period – when the papal office is unoccupied – a senior cardinal, known as the camerlengo, certifies the pope’s death and temporarily takes charge of the Vatican’s finances and administrative affairs. He does not have the authority to alter Church doctrine or make significant decisions. The current camerlengo is Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who also serves as the president of the Vatican’s Supreme Court. Follow Al Jazeera English:...