Pakistan has decided to release 360 Indian prisoners on ‘humanitarian basis’ upon completion of their sentences from Monday, 8 April, ANI reported.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that in the first phase on 8 April, 100 prisoners will be released. In the second phase on 5 April, another 100 will be released. In the third phase on 22 April, another 100 will be released and in the fourth and last phase on 29 April, the remaining 60 prisoners will be released, the Dawn reported.
Providing details regarding the release, the spokesperson said currently there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in India and 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistan.
"Pakistan will release 360 Indian prisoners, of which 355 are fishermen and 5 are civilians," he said.
‘Hope India Responds Positively’
"It is hoped that India will respond positively to this decision by Pakistan," Faisal said while addressing his weekly briefing to the media in Islamabad.
Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location.
Owing to lengthy and slow bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually remain in jail for several months.
Few days ago on 2 April, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had conveyed “its deep concern over the long-pending release and repatriation of Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen with their boats held under Pakistan custody despite completion of sentence and nationality confirmation,” ANI reported.
The MHA had requested the Pakistan High Commission to make necessary arrangements for immediate release and repatriation of 10 Indian civilian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jails who have already completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed, ANI reported.
(With inputs from ANI)
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