By Islamuddin Sajid
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan has announced to release 360 Indian prisoners who have completed their terms of sentence from next week, the Foreign Office said.
“Pakistan has decided to release 360 Indian prisoners [ 355 fishermen and five civilians] who have completed their terms of sentence, ” Mohammad Faisal, Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters during his weekly briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.
The Indian prisoners would released in four batches starting April 8, he announced, adding that they expect India to reciprocate.
The two countries often arrest fishermen for violating each other's seawaters due to poorly marked water boundaries and ill-equipped boats that lack the technology to specify exact locations.
According to Foreign Ministry officials, 537 Indian prisoners including 54 civilians and 483 fishermen are imprisoned in Pakistani jails, while 347 Pakistan prisoners including 249 civilian and 98 fishermen languishing in Indian jails
The two longtime rivals have been locked in diplomatic and military tensions following a suicide attack on an army convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir in February that killed at least 40 Indian troops.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of colluding with militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, which reportedly claimed responsibility for the brazen attack. Pakistan denied the charge.
Tensions mounted further after Indian jets intruded into Pakistan's airspace and bombed a suspected militant hideout near the border in February. The next day, Pakistan’s air force claimed downing two jets and captured a pilot, who was later released.
The two South Asian nations have fought three wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971 — two of them over Kashmir — since they were partitioned in 1947.
