April 18, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1429

NEW DELHI, April 17: Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday described the prolonged incarceration of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails as a matter of grave concern and urged Islamabad to free the more than 700 inmates, including 74 defence personnel, languishing there.

Mr Mukherjee told Rajya Sabha that a total of 641 Indians, including 436 fishermen, were languishing in different Pakistani jails. In reply to another question, he said that 74 missing defence personnel, including 54 since 1971, were believed to be in Pakistani jails.

The government had consistently taken up the matter with the Pakistan government, including at the highest level, and lists of prisoners exchanged by the two governments on March 31 were under study, he said.

“India expects the government of Pakistan to implement the recommendations of the Judicial Committee (comprising judges from India and Pakistan) to release and provide consular access to all detained fishermen and prisoners,” Press Trust of India quoted Mr Mukherjee as saying.

Mukherjee said in the absence of consular access to many fishermen and other prisoners, it was not possible to determine the details of sentences awarded.