India on Sunday asked Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 631 Indian fishermen and 2 Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday also asked Pakistan to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 30 fishermen and 22 civilian prisoners in Pakistan’s custody, who are believed to be Indian.
The requests were made as part of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, under which India and Pakistan shared the list of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody. Such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1.
“India shared lists of 339 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 Pakistani fishermen currently in Indian custody,” Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. “Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 51 civilian prisoners and 654 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians.”
New Delhi has also urged Islamabad to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 71 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending due to delay in confirmation of their nationality from Pakistan.
“Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India,” the ministry said.
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