India repatriates 12 Pakistani prisoners

Xinhua

18th Feb, 2022. 02:01 pm
Share

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday repatriated 12 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their respective jail sentences, said the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi.

Hoping for an early release of Indian fishermen from Pakistan, the spokesman said that the Indian government’s persistent efforts had secured the repatriation of 20 Indian fishermen from Pakistan’s custody this year.

“Twelve Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their sentences, were repatriated to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah land border on Feb. 17,” said Bagchi in a written statement.

He added that India attaches “the highest importance” to addressing all humanitarian matters, including the early release and repatriation of the Indian prisoners and fishermen.

Last month, the Sindh High Court was informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that nine Pakistani citizens were serving various sentences in Indian prisons while seven have been released from 2011 to 2015.

The information was provided to a two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro while hearing a petition seeking information about the number of Pakistani citizens languishing in Indian prisons.

The ministry in its reply had stated that four out of the nine prisoners are serving life terms in Indian prisons.