ISLAMABAD: At least 25 Pakistani nationals returned home on Saturday after being released from Indian jails, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi confirmed.
According to a statement posted by the high commission on X, the Pakistani nationals were repatriated through the Wagah-Attari border.
Officials of the Pakistan High Commission were present at the border to facilitate the repatriation process.
“The government of Pakistan will continue to endeavour for release and repatriation of all Pakistani nationals in Indian jails,” the statement said.
Following their return, the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society (FCS) welcomed and felicitated the 25 fishermen who had been released from Indian jails.
The society expressed hope that the fishermen would soon reunite with their families and resume their normal lives. It also thanked relevant government institutions for their cooperation and efforts in securing their release.
The repatriation comes nearly a month after Pakistan and India exchanged lists of prisoners held in each other’s custody under the 2008 Consular Access Agreement.
According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan had handed over a list of 250 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The list included 52 civilian prisoners and 198 fishermen.
At the same time, India provided a list of 439 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners in its custody, comprising 386 civilian prisoners and 53 fishermen.
Pakistan had also urged India to release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences and whose nationality had been confirmed. The group included 64 civilian prisoners and 33 fishermen.
The latest repatriation is part of ongoing efforts between the two countries to facilitate the release and return of prisoners and fishermen held across the border.
