New Delhi urges Islamabad to expedite release, repatriation of Indian fishermen, civilian prisoners who have completed their sentence
Anadolu Agency Staff |01.01.2023
NEW DELHI
India and Pakistan have exchanged lists of nuclear facilities, as well as civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody, Indian authorities said on Sunday.
According to the Indian External Affairs Ministry, New Delhi and Islamabad switched the list of nuclear installations and facilities under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between the two countries.
The 1988 agreement requires that India and Pakistan inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities on Jan. 1 of each year.
"This is the 32nd consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on 01 January 1992," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, India also handed over the lists of 339 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 Pakistani fishermen currently in Indian custody, the ministry statement added.
On its part, Pakistan shared the lists of 51 civilian prisoners and 654 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians.
The lists were shared through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad.
Under a 2008 agreement, both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody twice a year: on Jan. 1 and July 1.
The Indian side said it called for early release and repatriation of "civilian prisoners, missing Indian defense personnel, and fishermen along with their boats" from Pakistan's custody.
"In this context, Pakistan was asked 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," the ministry said.
"In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 30 fishermen and 22 civilian prisoners in Pakistan's custody who are believed to be Indian."
India, it said, remains committed to "addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country."
The ministry also said India urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action to confirm the "nationality status of 71 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan."
It added: "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 relations between the two arch-rival countries plummeted to a new low after August 2019, when India scrapped the longstanding special status of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in Islamabad downgrading its diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
Strained relations between the two neighbors keep prisoners in jail for longer periods, and in some cases, even after they serve their sentences.
Fishermen from both sides have long been paying a heavy price for fraught relations between the two neighbors.
Both countries often arrest fishermen for violating each other's seawaters due to poorly marked water boundaries and ill-equipped boats that lack the technology to specify exact locations.
Jatin Desai, former secretary of Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy, a group of peace activists from both countries dealing with prisoners' issues, told Anadolu Agency that the number of Indian fishermen in Pakistan’s custody is "increasing" and it is a matter of "concern."
"Over 600 Indian fishermen have completed their sentences and even their nationality has been verified. But, they haven't been repatriated yet to India and the reason is mostly political," he said. "There is no reason to keep the Indian fishermen in jails when all the processes have been completed."
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