Pakistan has released 2,657 Indian prisoners while India has freed 827 Pakistani prisoners since 2003, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said Wednesday.
Speaking at the weekly news briefing here, Sadiq said that both countries had been making efforts to swap prisoners through a joint judicial committee.
Sadiq disclosed that there were still 500 Indian nationals under arrest in Pakistan and 450 Pakistani people in custody in India.
The first meeting of the Pakistan-India joint Judicial Committee on Prisoners was held in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Committee recommended to the two governments that a consolidated list with full particulars and their present status of nationals in each other's jails should be exchanged on March 31,2008.
According to an agreement between the two governments, the fishermen in custody whose nationality status has been confirmed should be released and in remaining cases, consular access should be provided to them by March 31, 2008, according to the statement.
The Committee agreed to visit jails in Pakistan in April on dates agreed through diplomatic channels. A return visit to Indian jails will also be arranged.
The Committee was set up in January 2007 by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and the External Affairs Minister of India to recommend steps for humane treatment and expeditious release of prisoners of the respective countries in each other's jails.
Source: Xinhua
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