Arrested Indian fishermen sit inside a police station in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP
In a statement on Friday, the Indian Home Ministry said that out of a total of 115 Pakistani fishermen currently held in different jails in Gujarat, the government had decided to release and repatriate 88. The statement added that the nationality of these prisoners had been confirmed by the Pakistan government and cases registered against them had been withdrawn with the consent of competent courts on humanitarian considerations.
“These 88 Pakistani fishermen have already left Gujarat today and will be handed over to the Pakistani authorities at Attari border on June 21,” it said.
Read: Pakistan releases 113 Indian fishermen
While there were reports in the media about the release of nine more Pakistani fishermen whose nationality had been confirmed by the government of Pakistan, as per available records, the Home Ministry said it had not received any communication in this regards.
“Release and repatriation of the remaining 27 Pakistani fishermen lodged in jails in Gujarat will be considered by the government as and when their nationality is confirmed by the Pakistani High Commission,” the statement added.
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India on Friday also said it would give consular access to jailed fishermen from Pakistan and other nations so that their identity could be established. The government will facilitate visits of officials of Pakistan and other nations to prisons to identify and establish nationality of fishermen lodged there, a Home Ministry official said.
In a telephonic call with Prime Minister Sharif on Tuesday, Indian PM Narendra Modi extended Ramzan wishes and conveyed to him his decision to release detained Pakistani fishermen.
Modi had also noted that there was a need for having “peaceful” and “friendly” bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.
This article originally appeared on The Indian Express
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