Islamabad, August 26
India has offered to release all those Pakistani prisoners whose nationality has been verified by Islamabad, a Senate Committee here was told today.
Chairman of Pakistan Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Mushahid Hussain said he was informed by Indian High Commissioner Shivshankar Menon that India wanted to release all Pakistani prisoners whose nationality was confirmed by Islamabad.
Mr Hussain stated this during a meeting of the committee which took place under the shadow of growing concern in India over the death sentence awarded to Sarabjit Singh on his alleged involvement in the 1990 bomb blasts in Pakistan.
Mr Hussain, who presided over the meeting, called for exclusively discussing issues relating to prisoners in the light of recent reports in the media here alleging neglect and delaying of prisoners’ release due to red-tapism.
He said the Indian offer would facilitate the release of 177 Pakistani prisoners, of the total 611, whose nationality Pakistan Foreign Office stated to have verified.
There was no discussion about Sarabjit Singh in today’s meeting. However, Mr Hussain made a passing reference to his case by saying that as India was concerned about the fate of Sarabjit Singh, Pakistan too was concerned about the plight of its prisoners.
Asked to clarify the Indian offer, Mr Menon later said India had been proposing to Pakistan to expedite the release of at least those whose nationalities were confirmed.
At the same time, Pakistan too has 432 Indian prisoners whose national status has been confirmed by India, Mr Menon said, suggesting that the two countries could immediately release the prisoners who have been identified.
— PTI
