As many as 884 Pakistani nationals, including fishermen, are currently in Indian jails and 79 of them have completed their prison terms, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Khan said on Monday.
The Pakistan government is regularly raising the issue of repatriating all Pakistani prisoners being held in Indian jails, Khan said while replying to a question in the Senate or upper house of parliament. This is a humanitarian issue and remains a high priority for the foreign ministry, Khan said, adding that the government had proposed the revival of the Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners but the "Indian side has not responded to the proposal".
Pakistan and India have signed an agreement on consular access to prisoners but the pact "is not being implemented by India in letter and spirit", he claimed. Pakistan had proposed the revival of the Judicial Committee, which has not met since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, when it freed 100 Indian fishermen last month.
