Pakistan hands over list of 250 Indian prisoners, including 52 civilian prisoners and 198 fishermen
Pakistani Rangers (wearing black uniforms) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officers lower their national flags during Pakistan’s 72nd Independence Day parade, at the Pakistan-India joint check post on the Wagah border, near Lahore. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
Pakistan and India on Wednesday exchanged lists of prisoners held by each other under a bilateral agreement on consular access, with Islamabad urging New Delhi to repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences and whose nationality had been confirmed.
The exchange was carried out through diplomatic channels in accordance with the Consular Access Agreement, signed on May 21, 2008, under which the two countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners on January 1 and July 1 each year, the Foreign Ministry said.
According to the statement, Pakistan handed over a list of 250 Indian prisoners in its custody to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The list includes 52 civilian prisoners and 198 fishermen.
At the same time, India shared a list of 439 Pakistani or “suspected Pakistani” prisoners held in Indian jails. The list included 386 civilian prisoners and 53 fishermen, the statement said.
The ministry said Pakistan had also urged India to “release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners (64 civilian prisoners and 33 fishermen) who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been confirmed.”
He also called on New Delhi to “guarantee the safety, security and well-being of all Pakistani and suspected Pakistani prisoners awaiting release and repatriation.”
Pakistan further urged India to provide “prompt consular access to all suspected Pakistani prisoners to facilitate speedy confirmation of their nationality”, the statement said.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The Government of Pakistan will continue its efforts to ensure the early return of all Pakistani prisoners. »
The exchange of prisoner lists is a common confidence-building measure carried out twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, as part of the 2008 bilateral agreement on consular access between the two countries.
The annual exchange, a rare engagement mechanism between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, took place despite ongoing tensions following the four-day conflict in May last year and the absence of a structured dialogue process.
While limited diplomatic protocols continued, Islamabad simultaneously expressed serious concerns over India’s alleged violations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). For over six decades, India and Pakistan amicably managed the Indus river system through the BIT transboundary water sharing agreement signed on September 19, 1960. In April last year, India suspended the treaty following the Pahalgam attack.
Addressing an international seminar titled “The Indus Waters Treaty: A Key Instrument for Regional Peace and Stability” in Islamabad on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar warned India that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its legal water rights under the treaty would have profound consequences for peace and security in South Asia.
