India sends note verbale to Pak, demands repatriation of 10 Indian prisoners

The Ministry of External Affairs sent the note verbale to Pakistan High Commission conveying India's deep concern over the long pending release and repatriation of Indian prisoners held under Pakistani custody despite completion of sentence and nationality confirmation.

Image: PTI

New Delhi: India on Tuesday sent a note verbale to Pakistan demanding the immediate release and repatriation of 10 Indian civilian prisoners lodged in Pakistani jails who have already completed their sentence, sources said. The Ministry of External Affairs sent the note verbale to Pakistan High Commission conveying India's deep concern over the long pending release and repatriation of Indian prisoners held under Pakistani custody despite completion of sentence and nationality confirmation. The Pakistani High Commission is requested to make immediate necessary arrangements for the immediate release and repatriation of 10 Indian civilian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jails who have already completed their sentence, the sources quoted the note verbale as saying. The ministry also said that there were 5 civilians and 385 Indian fishermen lodged in Pakistan jails who have been confirmed to be Indian nationals. It is requested that necessary arrangements may be made for their early release and repatriation, the Indian side conveyed to the Pakistani side. The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated to the Pakistani side to expedite the grant of visas to the members of the medical experts team, proposed to visit Pakistan to assess the mental condition of believed-to-be-Indian prisoners of unsound mind lodged in different jails in that country. The Indian side also sought to organise early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee to Pakistan and organise early the visit of the four-member team to Karachi in connection with release and repatriation of 22 Indian fishing boats.