Foreign Office describes move as a goodwill gesture. PHOTO: REUTERS
In an attempt to defuse the recent tension with India over the Line of Control (LoC) skirmishes, Pakistan has decided to release more than 300 Indians detained in Pakistani jails as an act of goodwill.
The exact number of Indians to be released on August 24 is 367. Of these prisoners many are fisherfolk and ordinary civilians, said diplomatic sources.
Both countries have been blaming each other for resorting to cross-border firing in violation of the ceasefire agreement and killing each other’s soldiers and civilians for the past two weeks. Since then, efforts are also being made from both sides to normalise the situation.
“The prisoners’ release will be a goodwill gesture from Pakistan’s side and an initiative to ease tensions,” said a Foreign Office (FO) official. He did not give any breakdown though.
Pakistan was earlier considering releasing 73 Indian fishermen as part of Consular Access agreement between the two countries. Under the agreement, authorities in both countries have to submit a list of prisoners to each other’s high commissions in their respective capitals on January 1 and July 1 each year.
Pakistan’s foreign minister told National Assembly on Friday that 99 Pakistanis detained in Indian prisons according to FO’s data were missing from the list India provided recently to Pakistan’s High Commission in Delhi.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2013.
COMMENTS (19)
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Nawaz Sharif is doing a good thing and that too against much opposition form his army. So, Indians should appreciate this and reciprocate with similar gestures wherever possible. It is a good thing NS is doing and let us not try to find a motive for this. Let us leave it with appreciations and not link it to any other acts.
Any civilized behavior from Pakistan is usually matched and exceeded by India. This can be no exception.
And then they blame Imran Khan for appeasing Taliban.
thanks for the good gesture. However I wonder if this is just a cover for more heinous designs by Pakistan. Just saw in CNN IBN video of how Pakistan is pushing terrorist under the cover of Fire. Looks like same story, trying to be nice and also planning something sinister in the background. Hope Pakistani is on the same page.
Object surrender by NS. Pakistan army would not accept their culpability via state or no state actors in the LOC killing of Indian soldiers. So NS is trying the thamasha of releasing prisoner who have served their term
The man you could count on to use the " device" will most likely sell it for a pittance.
UNPROVOKED FIRING BY INDIANS.what is this style in diplomacy or our govt has learned from D I Khan jail break,who so ever comes firing can get his men released.Long live Raymond Davis.War on terror is teaching us a lots.Did you like this rumble dabble happening.
What good has independence from the british brought to us if we continue to act like servants??Seems to me that some quarters within the govt are really concerned about the fate of their businesses in India amid all these loc tensions!
Guys, come on, it's getting embarrassing now, we get it, you guys need peace :)
this is not goodwill. they should release after end of jail term.
This is not complement of killing 5 soldiers.this is not about ceasefire violation. they have finished their jail term so they must release so there is no bonus or goodwill.
Very good gesture by Pakistan. I hope my country follows suit. The tensions have to be reduced by several notches. A war would mean disaster for the people of the regions. I hope both nations mend their ways.
message from pak govt to pak army.....
This goodwill gesture is not even mentioned by fanatic indian media not even in a small news piece while it enlarges and magnifies everything negative. And what about the Pakistani prisoners?? Do Nawaz Sharif's india friendly government and our india's proxy Pakistan media have anything to say about Pakistani prisoners languishing and being tortured in India before the rest of them are disappeared by indian government ???
and India would not be releasing any of Pakistan's prisoners.Though it's a good step to release Indian prisoners but aren't our prisoners in India human,don't they deserve to be released
What a matching response to India's disappearing and killing of Pakistani prisoners. That's like a true toady state. Congrats to Nawaz government and Pakistani media.
And the appeasement continues. I am afraid, PM NS might someday sell us too.