Pakistan and India have exchanged lists of prisoners held in each other’s custody under the provisions of the 2008 Consular Access Agreement, diplomatic sources confirmed on Tuesday.
According to the sources, Pakistan handed over a list of 715 Indian nationals currently detained in the country. The list comprises 409 civilian prisoners and 306 fishermen.
The list was formally delivered to the Indian government in New Delhi by Saad Warraich, the head of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in India.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Geetika Srivastava, the head of the Indian diplomatic mission in Pakistan, submitted India’s list of Pakistani prisoners to the Pakistani authorities.
The exchange of prisoner lists is conducted twice every year under the 2008 Consular Access Agreement, which obliges both countries to share details of civilian prisoners and fishermen held in each other’s custody.
The periodic exchange is regarded as a confidence-building measure aimed at facilitating consular access and expediting the identification and repatriation of prisoners after the completion of legal formalities.
