Pakistan, India exchange lists of prisoners

ISLAMABAD: Consistent with the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, the Government of Pakistan on Saturday handed over a list of 308 Indian prisoners in Pakistan (42 civilians and 266 fishermen) to the High Commission of India in Islamabad.

The Indian government also handed over the list of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails to Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi, the official news agency said.

According to the list, there are a total of 417 Pakistanis in Indian jails (343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen).

“The Government of India has been urged to release and repatriate all those Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen, who have completed their respective sentence and their national status stands confirmed,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release.

Pakistan and India exchange the lists of prisoners in each other’s custody on January 1 and July 1, every year. The exchange takes place in pursuance of the Agreement on Consular Access, signed on May 21, 2008.