India has asked Pakistan to release 432 of its nationals, languishing in different jails of the country, saying there was no justification in keeping them as they had completed their prison terms.
India's Deputy High Commissioner T C A Raghavan said 368 Indian fishermen and 64 civilians have been held in Pakistan even after completion of their prison terms.
In response to reports in the local media that India had called for the release of 450 prisoners, Raghavan told PTI that India had been pressing for their release from the past three months. About the status of Pakistani prisoners in India, he said the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was handling their problems directly with the Indian government.
According to Indian government estimates, about 1400 Indian prisoners, including 54 Prisoners of War, were in Pakistani prisons. Pakistan, however, denies the existence of Indian POWs.
As per recent reports published in Pakistan media, about 611 Pakistani prisoners are languishing in Indian jails, including 457 who have reportedly completed their prison terms but awaiting release due to delay in Pakistan confirming their national status.
Reacting to the reports of delay by Pakistan in verifying the nationality of Pakistan prisoners, foreign office spokesman Naeem Khan said the national status of 177 Pakistanis had been checked and a request for their release had been made to India.