According to the latest prisoner exchange lists shared between India and Pakistan on January 1, 2025, Pakistan held 266 Indian prisoners, while India held 462 Pakistani prisoners.
Indian fishermen return from Pakistan: A total of 22 Indian fishermen, who were languishing in Pakistan’s Karachi jail, returned to India on Saturday. The fishermen were earlier brought from Karachi to Lahore in a bus, and they were subsequently handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah Border. The fishermen were released after they completed their sentences, Karachi Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah told the media.
The freed individuals include Bhupat, Mala, Krishan, Khalaf, Mohan, Asif, Ashok, Akbar, Lakhman, Moji, Deepak, Ram, Hari, Tapu, Suresh, Vijay, Manoj Kumar, Vinu, Mahesh, Subhash, Sanjay, and Selendhar, news agency PTI reports. Notably, they all were arrested for unintentionally crossing into Pakistan’s territorial waters. Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested due to poorly demarcated sea frontiers.
What do the latest prisoner lists suggest?
India and Pakistan shared the latest prisoner exchange lists on January 1, 2025, which state that Pakistan held 266 Indian prisoners, including 49 civilian prisoners and 217 fishermen, while India held 462 Pakistani prisoners, including 381 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in its reply in Lok Sabha on December 12, 2024, said that a total of 2639 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014.
Out of the 209 fishermen, as of July 1, 2024, under Pakistan’s custody, 51 fishermen have been in Pakistani jails since 2021; 130 fishermen since 2022; 9 fishermen since 2023; and 19 fishermen since 2024, the MEA said.
Here’s how the repatriation is undertaken
Pakistani authorities repatriate Indian fishermen through the Wagah border, and their onwards journey home in the coastal areas is facilitated by the Indian authorities after completing official formalities.
Similarly, Indian authorities release Pakistani fishermen at the Wagah border, and their homeward journey to the coastal area is facilitated by the Pakistani authorities.
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