New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS): Indian fishermen, who were released earlier, have been repatriated to their homeland via the Wagah border crossing, the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday, Express Tribune reported.

"The government of Pakistan has released 20 Indian prisoners (fishermen) who have been repatriated via Wagah Border to India on 24 January," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The fishermen were arrested for "illegally entering Pakistani waters" and fishing without permission. They were in Karachi's Landhi Jail but were released a day earlier by the government on a "humanitarian basis", the report said.

"The issue of prisoners is of humanitarian nature and Pakistan expects the government of India to reciprocate the gesture in the same spirit," it said.

The fishermen were released from the District Prison and Correctional Facility, Malir in Karachi on Sunday.

They were brought to Wagah on Monday and were handed over to India's Border Security Force in the evening after meeting the legal formalities, the report said.