Attari, Amritsar (Punjab) [India], February 1 (ANI): Pakistan on Saturday repatriated seven Indian prisoners via the Attari-Wagah border. The prisoners had reportedly crossed into Pakistan during the 2023 floods in Punjab while attempting to save their livestock.
Protocol Officer at the Attari border, Arun Mahal, said the release order for the seven prisoners was received by both Indian and Pakistani authorities on Saturday. Pakistani Rangers handed over the prisoners to the Border Security Force (BSF), after which they were brought to the Customs and Immigration office to complete the required formalities.
Of the seven repatriated citizens, four are from Ferozepur district, one each from Jalandhar and Ludhiana, and one from Uttar Pradesh. All of them had been swept into Pakistan during the floods while trying to rescue their animals, Mahal said.
Earlier in January, India repatriated a Pakistani national who had been imprisoned in India via the Attari-Wagah border, the Pakistan High Commission in India said. “Hafiz Muhammad Abbu Bakar, a Pakistani citizen imprisoned in India, was repatriated to Pakistan via the Wagah-Attari border today,” the High Commission said in a statement.
In September last year, India repatriated 48 Pakistani fishermen and 19 Pakistani civilian prisoners who had completed their sentences, according to an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
India has repeatedly urged the Pakistani government to expedite the release and repatriation of all Indian prisoners, including fishermen, currently in Pakistan’s custody. The MEA said the government attaches high priority to the issue of Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners and has consistently raised the matter with Islamabad.
In July last year, India and Pakistan exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad. Under the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access, 2008, such lists are exchanged twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.
According to the MEA, India has shared the names of 382 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen in its custody who are Pakistani or believed to be Pakistani. Pakistan, in turn, has shared the names of 53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen in its custody who are Indian or believed to be Indian.
The Government of India has called for the early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistani custody, particularly those who have already completed their sentences. The MEA said Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 159 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners who have completed their terms.
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