ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and India on Wednesday exchanged updated lists of prisoners in each other’s custody, reaffirming key diplomatic obligation under 2008 Consular Access Agreement despite continued tensions between the two neighbours.
According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan submitted names of 715 Pakistani nationals currently held in Indian custody, including 409 civilian prisoners and 306 fishermen. In return, India handed over its list of Indian prisoners detained in Pakistan.
The exchange was carried out through diplomatic channels, with Pakistan’s Head of Mission in New Delhi, Saad Warraich, delivering the list to the Indian government, while India’s Head of Mission in Pakistan, Geetika Srivastava, presented India’s list to Pakistani authorities.
The periodic exchange of prisoner lists is a mandatory confidence-building measure under the bilateral agreement signed in 2008. It is intended to ensure transparency regarding detained nationals and facilitate consular access for prisoners held by both countries.
Both sides exchange Prisoner Lists as Per 2008, conducting twice a year on January 1 and July 1, as this is mandated under bilateral Agreement on Consular Access signed in 2008 to ensure humanitarian treatment, consular access, and faster nationality verification for detainees.
The purpose is to track nationals detained in the other country, especially fishermen who often stray into disputed waters, facilitate their welfare, and enable eventual release and repatriation after completion of sentences.
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