Release 167 detainees immediately who have completed their sentence - India’s demand to Pakistan

New Delhi – India has strongly urged Pakistan to immediately release and repatriate 167 Indian fishermen and civilian detainees who have already completed their prison sentences in Pakistani jails. Along with this demand, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also called upon Pakistan to grant immediate consular access—permission for Indian ambassadors or diplomatic officials to visit detainees in prison—to 35 Indian civilian detainees and fishermen currently under its custody.

Under the bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan, lists of detained nationals are exchanged twice every year, on January 1 and July 1. In accordance with this arrangement, India has provided Pakistan with details of 391 Pakistani civilian detainees and 33 Pakistani fishermen presently in Indian custody. Pakistan, in turn, has shared information with India regarding 58 Indian civilian detainees and 199 Indian fishermen held in Pakistani prisons.

The Ministry of External Affairs further stated that since 2014, Pakistan has repatriated 2,661 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian detainees to India.