India and Pakistan exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody on Monday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The MEA highlighted that since 2014, New Delhi’s continuous efforts have led to the repatriation of 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 civilian prisoners from Pakistan. As per the provisions of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008, these lists are exchanged annually on January 1 and July 1, stated the MEA in a release.
“India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody,” it said. India has provided the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody who are Pakistani nationals or are believed to be Pakistani.
The MEA stated that Pakistan has also shared the names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody who are Indian nationals or are believed to be Indian. The Indian government has urged for the “early release and repatriation” of these civilian prisoners, fishermen, their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel held in Pakistan’s custody.
“Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 185 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the 47 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan’s custody, who are believed-to-be-Indian and have not been provided consular access so far,” the statement said.
The MEA stated that India has requested Pakistan to guarantee the safety, security, and well-being of all Indian and presumed Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen until their release and return to India. India reaffirmed its commitment to addressing humanitarian issues promptly, including those concerning prisoners and fishermen held in each other’s countries.
“In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite the nationality verification process of 75 believed-to-be-Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen in India’s custody, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan,” the statement said.
“As a result of sustained efforts by the government, 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 478 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners who have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2023 till date,” it added.