LAHORE, Aug 15: Pakistan on Friday released 35 Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture on the Independence Day of India and handed them over to Indian authorities.

A Pakistan Rangers spokesman said that the prisoners, between 14 and 18 years, included 34 fishermen and a citizen, who had been imprisoned in Landhi Jail of Karachi for the last four months. They belonged to Junagarh district of India, he said.

He said Pakistan had so far released 2,927 Indian prisoners over the last five years, while India released only 852 Pakistanis from its jails during the corresponding period.

The spokesman said at least 650 Pakistanis were still languishing in Indian jails against the 460 Indians in Pakistan’s.

Muhammad Saleem, the chief of Saibaan organisation that arranged transport and edibles for the fishermen in jail, said Pakistan had released the prisoners as a goodwill gesture but regretted that no matching response had come from India.—APP