ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday followed the provisions outlined in the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access by submitting a list of 308 prisoners (comprising 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen) from India to its embassy in Islamabad.
In reciprocation, the Indian government handed over a list of Pakistani prisoners incarcerated in Indian jails to the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi. The list accounted for a total of 417 Pakistanis, including 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen.
In a press statement, a spokesperson of the Foreign Office emphasized that New Delhi has been urged to release and repatriate all Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen whose sentences have been completed and whose nationality has been confirmed.
Under the agreement, Pakistan and India exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody on the 1st of January and 1st of July every year. This exchange of information aims to facilitate consular access and ensure the rights of the prisoners are upheld.
