Pakistan, India exchange list of prisoners

List of 296 Indian prisoners handed over to Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: The governments of Pakistan and India exchanged on Monday their list of prisoners residing in their respective jails, said a press statement issued by the foreign office.

A Consular Agreement that Pakistan and India signed in May 2008 dictates that a list of prisoners should be exchanged between the two countries twice a year -- on 1 January and 1 July, respectively.

In accordance with the agreement, the foreign office handed over their list of 296 Indian prisoners to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, while a similar list of Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails was also handed over to the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi.

The list of 296 Indian prisoners includes 47 civil, 237 fishermen and 12 youth offenders.