Pakistan and India on Saturday exchanged the lists of their prisoners in each other's custody and nuclear sites as part of the various agreements in place between the two countries.

According to a Foreign Office (FO) statement, Pakistan shared a list of 628 Indian prisoners with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad in accordance with the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access.

About 51 prisoners on the list are civilians, while 577 are fishermen.

"The Indian government also simultaneously shared the list of 355 Pakistani prisoners in India including 282 civilians and 73 fishermen with the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi," the FO statement said.

According to the 2008 agreement, India and Pakistan are required to share a list of prisoners both countries are holding across the border twice a year on January 1 and July 1.

Similarly, the list of nuclear facilities and installations was handed over to the Indian High Commission by the FO while the Indian Ministry of External Affairs handed over a similar list to an officer of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

The annual exchange, which has been conducted on the first day of every year since 1992, began after a December 1988 pact between the two rival states termed the 'Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India'.

Under the agreement, both parties “should inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities within the definition of the agreement on Jan 1 of each calendar year". The FO said the practice has been followed consecutively since Jan 1, 1992.

Opinion

Editorial

Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....
Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...