By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India exchanged lists of prisoners held in each other’s custody on Tuesday, a diplomatic ritual that persists between the nuclear-armed neighbors despite a recent military flare-up and deep-seated mistrust.
The swap, conducted via diplomatic channels, follows a 2008 consular agreement requiring both nations to share such lists twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.
“The government of Pakistan handed over a list of 246 Indian or believed-to-be-Indian prisoners (53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen) to a representative of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad. Simultaneously, the government of India shared a list of 463 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners (382 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen) to a diplomat from the High Commission for Pakistan, New Delhi,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement.
The exchange comes weeks after a violent four-day clash in May, sparked by an April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir that killed 26, mostly tourists. India accused Pakistan of backing the assault, a charge Islamabad denied while calling for an international investigation.
Tensions peaked May 7 when India fired missiles into Pakistan, targeting what it called “terrorist camps.” Artillery fire, airstrikes, and drone strikes followed until a US-mediated ceasefire took effect May 10.
Even amid such friction, the prisoner list exchange endures as a rare point of protocol. Yet the plight of prisoners remains a thorny humanitarian issue in the fraught bilateral relationship. The Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners, formed in 2007 to address such concerns, has been dormant since its last meeting in 2013, a casualty of India’s suspension of comprehensive dialogue amid rising tensions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office used the moment to press for action demanded “the immediate release and repatriation of all those Pakistani prisoners and fishermen who had completed their respective sentences and whose national status stood confirmed.”
The statement also requested for “special consular access” to all believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners, particularly those who are physically or mentally challenged, to speed up confirmation of their nationality.
“The government of India has been urged to provide consular access to all those prisoners to whom consular access is still awaited. The Indian side has also been urged to ensure safety, security, and well-being of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody,” the statement said. “The Government of Pakistan remains committed to addressing humanitarian matters as a priority,” the Foreign Office declared. “It will continue its endeavours to ensure early return of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.”
The numbers alone, 246 Indian prisoners in Pakistan and 463 Pakistani prisoners in India, underscore the scale of the issue. Many are fishermen, often detained after inadvertently crossing maritime boundaries in the Arabian Sea, a common occurrence given the poorly defined border and economic pressures driving them into disputed waters.
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