India asked Pakistan to release 536 Indian fishermen and 3 civilians in custody!
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Pakistan should release and repatriate the 536 fishermen and three civilians who have completed their sentence and have reportedly proven their Indian nationality. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has even asked Pakistan to provide consular support to the 105 fishermen and 20 civilians who have been in their custody and are believed to be Indian citizens. Pakistan has yet not responded on the matter.
In 2008 Pakistan and India under the framework of an agreement decided to exchange the list of arrested fishermen and civilians in the two countries, every calendar year on January 1 and July 1. Exercising the same rules, India on 1st July made the request and handed over a list of 309 Pakistani citizens and 95 fishermen in India’s custody over to Pakistan.
Correspondingly Pakistan also released a list of 633 fishermen and 49 civilian prisoners in their custody who are believed to be Indians, as confirmed by the Ministry.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs asked for an early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, Indian defence personnel and fishermen along with their boats in Pakistan’s custody.
“In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 536 Indian fishermen and three Indian civilians who have completed their sentence and their nationalities have been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan” the MEA statement read.
The MEA assured that India is persistent on staying committed to all humanitarian matters including the Indian prisoners in Pakistan. India has also asked Pakistan to confirm the nationality status of the 57 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, in India as their repatriation status stands pending.
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