Pakistan on Friday said that 682 Indian prisoners are detained in its jails. Of these, 633 are fishermen and 49 are civilians, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.
India has 461 Pakistanis in its jails. This includes 345 civilians and 116 fishermen.
The exchange of information about prisoners is a routine practice between the two countries under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access.
The information is exchanged twice in a year – on January 1 and July 1.
Following Friday’s exchange, India called upon Pakistan to release and repatriate 536 Indian fishermen and three civilian prisoners who have completed their jail terms and whose nationality has been confirmed.
“In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 105 fishermen and 20 civilian prisoners who are in Pakistan’s custody and are believed to be Indian,” a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
India also urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action from its end to confirm the nationality status of 57 Pakistani prisoners in India, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending as Pakistan has not confirmed their nationality.
“India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other’s country,” the foreign ministry said.
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