ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has released 20 Indian fishermen prisoners upon completion of their sentences.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad on Monday said the fishermen had been repatriated via Wagah Border to India.

He said given the humanitarian nature of the prisoners’ issue, Pakistan expects the government of India to reciprocate the gesture in the same spirit.

On January 20, Pakistan had released 20 Indian fishermen and repatriated them to India via Wagah Border, a statement released by the Foreign Office (FO) had said.

The FO had added that the prisoners had been released on completion of their sentences.

Read more: Pakistan releases 20 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture

The FO had said the issue of prisoners was of humanitarian nature and Pakistan expected the government of India to reciprocate the gesture in the same spirit.

At the start of 2022, Pakistan and India had exchanged the list of each other’s nationals held in jails by both countries under the Consular Access Agreement.

The government of Pakistan had shared a list of 628 Indian prisoners including 51 civilians and 577 fishermen with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Similarly, under the agreement, the Indian government had also shared the list of 355 Pakistani prisoners in India including 282 civilians and 73 fishermen with the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

In November 2021, Pakistani authorities had released 20 Indian fishermen from Karachi’s Malir jail as a goodwill gesture towards India. The fishermen were arrested for trespassing into Pakistan’s maritime boundaries.

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