PICTURE: APP
ISLAMABAD: The governments of Pakistan and India on the start of the new year exchanged lists of prisoners in each other’s custody.
“The Government of Pakistan handed over a list of 266 Indian prisoners in Pakistan (49 civilian prisoners and 217 fishermen) to a representative of the High Commission of India in Islamabad,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press statement in Islamabad on Wednesday.
At the same time, the Indian government handed over a list of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails to an officer at Pakistan’ High Commission in New Delhi, APP reported.
The list showed that there were 462 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails (381 civilians and 81 fishermen).
The two countries exchange lists of prisoners under the Consular Access Agreement of 2008 under which they are required to exchange the lists of prisoners in each other’s custody on January 1 and July 1 every year.
The statement of the Foreign Office added that India had been requested to release and repatriate the 52 civilian prisoners and 56 fishermen who have completed their respective sentence.
Furthermore, a request for grant of consular access to 38 missing defence personnel of 1965 and 1971 wars had been made, it was added.
