India, Pakistan to exchange about 590 prisoners within days
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Sept 10, IRNA
India-Pakistan-Prisoners
Islamabad and New Delhi will respectively exchange 435 Indian and 152 Pakistani prisoners on September 12 as part of a mutual confidence-building measure, the Press Trust India (PTI) reported here Saturday.
Referring to official announcements simultaneously released in Islamabad and New Delhi, the PTI said that the Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, and their Pakistani counterparts would be freed as a "humanitarian" act.
A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement said the prisoners of both sides will be exchanged at the Wagah border near Amritsar.
The decision to release the nationals of two countries detained in each others jails was arrived at the Home Secretary-level meeting in New Delhi on August 29-30.
The Foreign Ministry statement in Islamabad said "the government of Pakistan views this matter as a humanitarian issue and therefore it has been decided to release all Indian prisoner in its jails whose national status has been confirmed."
In Delhi, a Union Home Ministry spokesman said those Pakistani civilian prisoners who have completed their sentences and whose travel documents have been issued by Pakistan High Commission would be released.
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