Keeping up with the provisions of the 2008 Agreement, India has handed over lists of 267 Pakistan civilian prisoners & 99 fishermen to Pakistan who are in India’s custody, while Pakistan shared lists of 55 civilian prisoners & 227 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or believed-to-be Indians. According to the MEA, these lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1, every year. The exchange of lists was followed by the Central government calling for early repatriation of Indian civilian prisoners, fishermen, and defence personnel currently in Pakistan's custody. "In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 4 Indian civilian prisoners and 126 Indian fishermen to India whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to 14 believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners and 100 Indian fishermen who are in Pakistan’s custody," a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

Source: dna January 01, 2020 15:33 UTC