Pakistan and Sri Lanka have 681 Indian fishermen in their custody, the Indian government informed the Rajya Sabha today. 

In written response to a question in the Upper House, V K Singh, the Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry, said 537 fishermen were in jails in Pakistan while 144 were in Sri Lankan jails. 

Pakistan has 1,000 boats and Sri Lanka has 144 boats of Indian fishermen in their custody. 

Singh, however, said that Pakistan has not acknowledged the number of Indian fishermen and boats in their custody. 

"The state of bilateral relations between India and Pakistan impinges on the release and repatriation of Indian fishermen. Even in the absence of a structured bilateral dialogue, both sides have released fishermen," Singh said. 

He added that in 2017, India secured the release and repatriation of 363 Indian fishermen, of which 245 were released in the last six months. (With Inputs from PTI)