India and Pakistan Exchange Lists of Prisoners and Fishermen
On July 1, India and Pakistan exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody. This exchange is part of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008, which mandates the exchange of such lists every year on January 1 and July 1.
India provided Pakistan with the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody. In return, Pakistan shared the names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen who are Indian or believed to be Indian.
The Indian government has called for the early release and repatriation of these prisoners and fishermen, along with their boats, and missing Indian defense personnel from Pakistan’s custody. India has also requested Pakistan to expedite the release of 185 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners who have completed their sentences and to provide immediate consular access to 47 individuals who have not yet received it.
India remains committed to addressing humanitarian matters, including those concerning prisoners and fishermen. The Indian government has urged Pakistan to expedite the nationality verification process for 75 believed-to-be-Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen in India’s custody, whose repatriation is pending due to the need for nationality confirmation from Pakistan.
Since 2014, sustained efforts by the Indian government have resulted in the repatriation of 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian prisoners from Pakistan. This includes 478 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners repatriated since 2023.
