Islamabad: Pakistan and India have carried out the latest Pakistan India Prisoners List Exchange under the provisions of the 2008 Consular Access Agreement. The exchange is part of a regular bilateral mechanism aimed at sharing information about each country’s nationals who are in custody.
According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan provided India with a list containing the names of 715 prisoners, including 409 civilian detainees and 306 fishermen. The exchange is conducted periodically as part of the agreed framework to promote transparency regarding detained nationals.
Sources said the list was formally handed over to the Indian government by Saad Warraich, the head of Pakistan’s mission in New Delhi. In return, Geetika Srivastava, head of the Indian mission in Islamabad, delivered India’s updated list of Pakistani prisoners to the Pakistani authorities.
The exchange of prisoner lists is carried out twice each year under the 2008 Consular Access Agreement signed between Pakistan and India. The arrangement enables both countries to maintain updated records of civilians and fishermen who remain in each other’s custody.
The mechanism also supports efforts to facilitate consular access and helps the relevant authorities verify the identity and legal status of detained individuals. Officials from both sides use the exchanged information to process cases in accordance with their respective legal procedures and bilateral commitments.
Civilian detainees and fishermen frequently make up a significant portion of the lists exchanged between the two neighboring countries. Many fishermen are detained after inadvertently crossing the maritime boundary while fishing in the Arabian Sea, making regular information sharing an important humanitarian measure.
