Pakistan is set to release 600 Indian fishermen detained in its jails this month as a goodwill gesture.
Out of 600 prisoners, 200 will be released on May 12, while the remaining will be released on May 14.
Some relief for fishermen caught in the conflict tween India & Pak & a good move by .@BBhuttoZardari of releasing fishermen b4 departing for India .Reportedly the first batch of 200 fishermen is to be released on May 12, while remaining 400 are expected to be released on May 14.
— Munizae Jahangir (@MunizaeJahangir) May 5, 2023
The development comes as Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is visiting India to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
This is also the first time since 2016 that the most senior Foreign Office representative from Pakistan is visiting India.
Earlier, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) had launched a campaign demanding the repatriation of prisoners currently being held in prisons in India and Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.
These fishermen were arrested after they had trespassed into Pakistan’s territorial waters.
Earlier this year, Indian authorities had released 12 Pakistani fishermen after they had allegedly violated territorial waters.
The 12 fishermen belonging to Sindh and Azad Kashmir were handed over to Pakistan by Indian authorities at the Wagah border in Lahore.
Last year in July, Pakistan had released 20 Indian fishermen detained in the Malir Jail in Karachi.
