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Pak to release 300 Indian prisoners
May 13, 2003 21:18 IST

Pakistan on Tuesday decided to release nearly 300 Indian prisoners, official sources said in Islamabad.

The Indian government has been informed about the decision, the source said. The prisoners include 22 Sikhs and 14 crew members of Indian cargo vessel 'Raj Lakshmi.'

The prisoners' release was one of the confidence building measures promised by Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Jafarullah Jamali recently to take the peace talks with India forward.

The prisoners will be released after Pakistani officials work out the logistics with their Indian counterparts.

The 22 Sikhs languishing in Quetta and Lahore jails were arrested while they were crossing into Pakistan from Iran after they were abandoned by middlemen, who had promised to ferry them to Western countries.

The crew of 'Raj Lakshmi' was detained after their vessel capsized in Pakistani waters.

 

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