India and Pakistan today exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody through diplomatic channels. External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that India has shared lists with details of 391 civil prisoners and 33 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani.
While Pakistan has shared lists with details of 58 civil prisoners and 199 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or believed to be Indian.
India has called for the early release and repatriation of civil prisoners, fishermen along with their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan’s custody. Pakistan has also been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 167 Indian fishermen and civil prisoners, who have completed their sentence.
In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to 35 civil prisoners and fishermen in its custody, who are believed to be Indian and have not been provided consular access so far.
India has asked Pakistan to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be-Indian civil prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India.
The Ministry informed that as a result of the sustained efforts by the Government, two thousand 661 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civil prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 500 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners who have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2023 to date.