Pakistan urges India to release 97 prisoners during biannual lists exchange

Pakistan and India on Wednesday exchanged lists of prisoners held in each other's custody under a bilateral agreement on consular access, with Islamabad urging New Delhi to repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences and whose nationality had been confirmed.

The exchange was carried out through diplomatic channels in accordance with the Agreement on Consular Access, signed on May 21, 2008, under which both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners on 1 January and 1 July each year, the foreign office said.

According to the statement, Pakistan handed over a list of 250 Indian prisoners in its custody to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The list comprises 52 civilian prisoners and 198 fishermen.

At the same time, India shared a list of 439 Pakistani or "believed-to-be Pakistani" prisoners being held in Indian jails. The list included 386 civilian prisoners and 53 fishermen, the statement said.

The ministry said Pakistan had also urged India to "release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners (64 civilian prisoners and 33 fishermen) who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been confirmed."

It also called on New Delhi to "ensure the safety, security and well-being of all Pakistani and believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners awaiting release and repatriation."

Pakistan further urged India to provide "expeditious consular access to all believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners to facilitate the early confirmation of their nationality," according to the statement.

Reaffirming Islamabad's position, the foreign office said, "The Government of Pakistan will continue its efforts to ensure the early return of all Pakistani prisoners."

The exchange of prisoner lists is a routine confidence-building measure carried out twice a year, on 1st January and 1st July, under the 2008 bilateral agreement on Consular Access between the two countries.

The annual exchange, a rare surviving mechanism of engagement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, took place despite lingering tensions following the four-day conflict in May last year and the absence of a structured dialogue process.

While limited diplomatic protocols have continued, Islamabad has simultaneously voiced strong concerns over India's alleged violations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). For more than six decades, India and Pakistan amicably managed the Indus River system through the IWT transboundary water-sharing agreement signed on September 19, 1960. In April last year, India suspended the treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

Addressing an international seminar titled "The Indus Waters Treaty: A Key Instrument for Peace and Regional Stability" in Islamabad on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar warned India that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its lawful water rights under the treaty would have profound consequences for peace and security in South Asia.