Islamabad has decided to release 30 Indian prisoners in a humanitarian gesture to mark Pakistan’ Independence Day.
The prisoners released on Monday include 27 fisherman.
Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen occasionally stray into each other’s waters due to lack of clear demarcation of boundaries. These fishermen are put into jails. Due to lengthy bureaucratic hurdles by both countries, the fishermen end up languishing in jails, sometimes for decades.
“This is in line with Pakistan’s consistent policy of not politicising humanitarian issues. It is our hope that the Indian side will also reciprocate in a similar manner,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement about the prisoner release.
Many civil society organisations around the world have been urging New Delhi and Islamabad to enter into an agreement for defining and enforcing proper international maritime laws.