352 Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistani jails: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: The number of Indian prisoners, including fishermen, in Pakistani jails as on date is 352, the government said on Wednesday.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Lok Sabha that as per Agreement on Consular Access between India and Pakistan, 2008, both the countries have exchanged on 1 January, this year lists related to prisoners.

In a written reply, she said that as per the list given by Pakistan on 1 January, 2015, there were 50 civil prisoners and 476 fishermen believed to be Indian in Pakistani custody.

As per the list handed over to Pakistan, there are 253 Pakistani civil prisoners and 132 Pakistani fishermen in India’s custody, she said.

“In addition to the above, one civil prisoner and 172 Indian fishermen were released by Pakistan on 16 February, 2015. One prisoner mentioned in the Pakistani list of 1 January, 2015 was initially believed to be India, but was later found to be from Nepal. Therefore, the number of Indian prisoners, including fishermen, in Pakistani jail as on date is 352,” Swaraj said.

As per details shared by the Minister, in 2014, Pakistan had released 185 Indian fishermen and six civil prisoners. The number of Pakistani civil prisoners released by India in 2014 was 26 in addition to 74 Pakistani fishermen, who were also released.

PTI