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June 14, 2008
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Saturday
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Jamadi-us-Sani 09, 1429
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Protest lodged with India over death of prisoners
By Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD, June 13: Pakistan on Friday lodged a protest with India over deaths of another two Pakistani prisoners, including an old woman, in Indian jails and demanded a thorough probe into the matter.
Bodies of Rashidan Bibi, 60, and Abdul Aleem, 28, were handed over to Pakistan by the Indian authorities at the Wagah border.
Aleem had been in Indian custody since 2001 and Rashidan was arrested by Indian authorities in 2006. The causes of their deaths are not known.
The Foreign Office took up the issue with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and the Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi with the Indian external affairs ministry.
The Pakistani officials conveyed to the Indian authorities their government’s shock and anger at the deaths and expressed concern over the treatment of Pakistanis in Indian custody.
Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said the Indian government had been asked to ensure humane treatment of Pakistani prisoners, update information on the prisoners, provide them consular access and take steps for early repatriation of prisoners who had completed their sentence.
Four Pakistani prisoners have died in Indian jails this year.
“The demands made by us today are well within the international human rights norms and have been agreed by the two governments in the recently signed Consular Access Agreement,” he said.
According to lists exchanged by the two countries on March 31 this year, 147 Pakistani civilians, 14 fishermen among them, are in Indian jails. India said the information was incomplete, but it did not update it.
Pakistani members of the Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners have been asked to take up the matter during their forthcoming visit to India.
Pakistan and India had in 2007 formed the committee comprising retired judges from both countries to recommend steps for humane treatment of prisoners and their expeditious release.
Indian members of the committee are currently in Pakistan for inspecting jails and meeting Indian prisoners detained here.
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