Pakistan, India exchange prisoners lists

Pakistan and India on Tuesday exchanged lists of prisoners under a bilateral agreement, the Foreign Ministry said.

According to the Agreement on Consular Access signed between Pakistan and India on May 21, 2008, both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody twice a year, on Jan. 1 and July 1, respectively. "Consistent with the provisions of this agreement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over a list of 296 Indian prisoners [47 civil, 237 fishermen and 12 youthful offenders (fishermen)] in Pakistan to the High Commission of India in Islamabad today," the ministry said.

A similar list of Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails was also handed over to the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not give any figure of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.