Islamabad, July 1 (IANS) India and Pakistan exchanged a list of prisoners lodged in each other’s jails following a 2008 pact, an official statement said Monday.
The foreign office of Pakistan handed over to the Indian High Commission here a list of 491 Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistani jails, while a similar list of 386 Pakistani prisoners was handed over to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by the ministry of external affairs.
Pakistan’s interior ministry and India’s home ministry will consult the provincial home departments and jail authorities to ascertain how many of the prisoners are completing their terms. Accordingly, these prisoners are released, said the statement.
According to the statement, lists of prisoners are to be exchanged between the two countries twice a year, on Jan 1 and July 1, following a consular agreement signed in May 2008.
Last May, Pakistan released 46 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture and is making arrangements for the release of 11 Indian prisoners by the middle of this month, it added.
