- Biannual list contains names of 52 civilians, 494 fishermen
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Saturday confirmed that Pakistan has handed over a list of 546 Indian prisoners to the High Commission of India.
According to a section of the India-Pakistan Joint Statement, May 2008 – pertaining to the consular access agreement – both the countries must exchange lists of the prisoners twice in a year, he said in a statement.
He said the agreement required both the countries to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, respectively. According to the statement, the list contains the names of 52 civilians and 494 fishermen.
The Indian government will also hand over a list of prisoners to the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi. On January 6, Pakistan freed 219 fishermen, whereas 78 more are expected to be released during the ongoing month.
