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India shared details of 366 Pakistani prisoners, sought immediate release of 185 citizens believed to be in Pakistani custody.
BSF personnel stand guard at the Integrated Check Post near Attari-Wagah border, in Amritsar district. (IMAGE: PTI FILE)
New Delhi and Islamabad on Tuesday exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody. This is an exercise held under the provisions of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008 and is held twice every year on January 1 and July 1.
The External Affairs Ministry said the names of 382 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen in India’s custody of people who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani has been given to Islamabad, who likewise have shared names of 53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed-to-be-Indian.
The Ministry highlighted that the Indian government has called on Islamabad to ensure “early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, fishermen along with their boats and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan’s custody”.
“Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 159 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the 26 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan’s custody, who are believed-to-be-Indian and have not been provided consular access so far. Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be-Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India,” the press release said.
“India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other’s country. In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite the nationality verification process of 80 believed-to-be-Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen in India’s custody, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan,” the release further added.
The Ministry of External Affairs said 2,661 Indian fishermen and 71 civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014 as a result of sustained efforts by the Government. This includes 500 fishermen and 13 civilian prisoners repatriated since 2023.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
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New Delhi/Islamabad
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