Carrying out a new confidence building measure, Pakistan and India exchanged 435 and 152 prisoners respectively Monday at the Wagah border, about 30 kilometers east of Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

The prisoners released from Pakistan included 371 fishermen while those released by the Indian side included 51 fishermen, Pakistani State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahzad Wasim told reporters at the Pakistani side of the border.

Pakistani Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said that Pakistan had already released 1,301 Indian prisoners in the year 2004 and 2005 while India released 231 during the same period.

He added that there were more than 500 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.

The decision to release the nationals of both countries detained in each others' jails on Sept. 12 was arrived at the Pak- Indian home secretaries' meeting held in New Delhi on Aug. 29 and 30.

Source: Xinhua