After being shunned by almost every country for its cheap theatrics over India’s abrogation of the special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, flustered Pakistan is up to trying another dirty trick with India.
As per a report in Zee News, Pakistan has halted the release and repatriation of five Indian nationals and many fishermen who have completed their sentence and were waiting to be sent back.
According to the last exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen of each country lodged in the respective jails, which was exchanged on July 1, 2019, Pakistan has 209 Indian fishermen and 52 Indian nationals in its custody while India has 256 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 99 fishermen in its custody.
As per the India-Pakistan ‘Agreement on Consular Access’ signed on May 21, 2008, the two countries exchange such list biannually, one on January 1 and the second on July 1 of each year.
In fact, this is the second time when frustrated Pakistan has exhibited such despicable morals. On August 5, when Article 370 was abrogated, Pakistan had adopted a similar strategy and had stopped the repatriation at Attari border of two Indians who were about to be sent back.
In order to resolve humanitarian issues related to elderly, women and mentally unsound prisoners in each other’s custody and consider their early release and repatriation, India in October 2017 had suggested to Pakistan to revive the mechanism of Joint Judicial Committee.
It had also suggested that a team of Indian medical experts should be allowed to visit the mentally unsound prisoners in Pakistan with a view to facilitating their nationality verification and subsequent repatriation.
Moreover, to facilitate the process, New Delhi had also shared the details of the medical experts’ team and the reconstituted Joint Judicial Committee with Pakistan with the request to organise their visit, to which Islamabad has not yet responded.
The report also mentions that PM Modi’s government, in its first term, was able to secure the release of 1749 Indian prisoners, including 1725 fishermen along with 57 boats.
