Pakistan and India on Wednesday exchanged lists of prisoners, including fishermen, held in each other's custody through diplomatic channels, in line with the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access.
The agreement, signed on May 21, 2008, requires both countries to exchange such lists twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.
Prisoner Numbers Shared by Both Sides
According to Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO), “The Government of Pakistan handed over a list of 250 Indian prisoners in Pakistan (52 civilian prisoners and 198 fishermen) to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.”
It added, “Simultaneously, the Government of India provided a list of 439 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners, including 386 civilian prisoners and 53 fishermen, who are in Indian jails.”
Pakistan Seeks Repatriation of Eligible Prisoners
The FO also said that the Government of India had been urged to release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners comprising 64 civilian prisoners and 33 fishermen, who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been confirmed.
