Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has attributed the recent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities to a fishing rights agreement signed during India's Emergency period in the 1970s. Jaishankar highlighted that the pact, specifically referencing the 1976 Katchatheevu agreement, was enacted without proper parliamentary debate or consensus, a decision he stated would not withstand democratic scrutiny today. This agreement led to India relinquishing certain fishing rights, which has contributed to ongoing disputes and the detention of fishermen near the maritime border. On June 29, 2025, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested eight fishermen from Rameswaram and impounded a mechanized trawler on charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters. Despite Sri Lanka's National People's Power party's pragmatic foreign policy towards India, unresolved fishing disputes and concerns over Indian dominance continue to affect bilateral relations.