New Delhi, July 01: India and Pakistan today exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen held in each other’s custody, in accordance with the provisions of the 2008 bilateral Agreement on Consular Access. The exchange took place simultaneously through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “India has shared lists of 382 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani.” Conversely, “Pakistan has shared lists of 53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed-to-be-Indian.”
The Government of India reiterated its call for the “early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, fishermen along with their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan’s custody.” It has specifically requested Pakistan to expedite the release of 159 Indian prisoners and fishermen who have already completed their sentences.
India has also called on Pakistan to “provide immediate consular access to the 26 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan’s custody, who are believed-to-be-Indian and have not been provided consular access so far,” and urged Islamabad to “ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be-Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India.”
India reaffirmed its commitment to addressing humanitarian issues on priority, stating, “India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other’s country.”
In this context, India has pressed Pakistan to expedite nationality verification for 80 believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners and fishermen in Indian custody, whose repatriation is pending due to a lack of nationality confirmation from Pakistan.
Highlighting past efforts, the MEA said, “As a result of sustained efforts by the Government, 2,661 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian 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 till date.” The biannual exchange of prisoner lists, held on January 1 and July 1 each year, is a confidence-building measure under the Indo-Pakistan agreement to ensure transparency and humanitarian cooperation.
