Hundreds of civilians, mainly fishermen, have been arrested by New Delhi and Islamabad for crossing the maritime border
India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen who are being held by the other country, the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi has said.
India shared the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen from Pakistan in its custody. Islamabad, in turn, named 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody from India or “believed to be Indian.”
New Delhi also called for the early release and repatriation from Pakistan of civilian prisoners, fishermen with their boats, and missing Indian defense personnel. It also asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 185 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners who have completed their sentences.
The two neighbors regularly arrest each other’s fishermen for operating illegally in each other’s territorial waters. Lists of prisoners are exchanged twice a year on January 1 and on July 1 as part of a bilateral agreement signed in 2008.
According to New Delhi, 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 civilians have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014 due to its “sustained efforts.” Last year, 478 Indian fishermen and 13 civilian prisoners were released by Pakistan.
In a statement, Islamabad emphasized that it will continue its efforts to ensure the early return of all Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails. Sixty-two people were repatriated last year and four people earlier this year, the statement noted. Islamabad said it had also received from New Delhi a list of 38 missing Pakistani defense personnel, believed to be in Indian custody since the wars of 1965 and 1971.
The two nuclear-capable neighbors share a tense relationship and have fought four wars since their independence from the British Empire in 1947.
Ties further nosedived in 2019, when a terrorist attack in Pulwama, Kashmir killed 40 Indian officers, prompting a response from the Indian Air Force inside Pakistani territory. Later the same year, the Narendra Modi-led government revoked the special status of Kashmir, which is claimed by Pakistan, by abolishing Article 370 of the Indian constitution. Reacting to the move, Islamabad downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
Earlier this year, the two sides traded barbs over Pakistan’s allegation that the Indian government has orchestrated extrajudicial killings on its soil, which New Delhi has denied.
Meanwhile, fishermen in southern India have faced similar troubles with Sri Lanka. Earlier this month, ten fishermen were arrested for alleged illegal fishing. They now face charges related to the death of a Sri Lankan Navy sailor, who was reportedly killed during an operation to apprehend them. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, MK Stalin, noted in a recent letter to Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar that in 2024 alone, 203 fishermen and 27 boats have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.
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