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| India calls on Pak to hold talks to decide prisoners' fate | | | ABID SHAH
EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, Mar 6: Ministry of External Affairs here has said today that there are about 770 Indian prisoners, including 550 fishermen, who are being held in various jails of Pakistan awaiting repatriation. And it has sought a suitable date for discussions in this regard from Pakistan by Indo-Pakistan Judicial Committee constituted for the release of prisoners in each other's country.
About two years ago India and Pakistan had exchanged list of such prisoners. Many of them were found to be sick and mentally unstable and there have been cases of juvenile prisoners as also those who continue to be in jails despite finishing there sentences passed by local courts. Thus, it was felt that this should be taken as a humanitarian issue by the committee which is manned by judges from the two countries.
Yet there has been no progress in this regard, more so after Mumbai attack in November 2008. And now after the last month's Foreign Secretaries level talks held in New Delhi, it has been decided to pick up humanitarian issues once again. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also said this recently in Parliament.
Today the External Affairs Ministry issued a statement in the wake of reports in Pakistani media highlighting this issue. The Ministry statement says, "We have seen reports in the Pakistani media on unresolved humanitarian issues between India and Pakistan pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's custody.
"India had requested Pakistan in January this year, and again during the talks between Foreign Secretaries last month, to convey dates for the next meeting of India-Pakistan Judicial Committee, which is to be held in Pakistan. This proposal was made so that these humanitarian issues are addressed expeditiously. Pakistan's response is still awaited.
"After the release of 100 Indian fishermen by Pakistan in December 2009, there are more than 550 Indian fishermen and 400 Indian fishing boats in Pakistan's custody, besides 220 Indian prisoners."
In another development Foreign Minister SM Krishna has denied that any of the Indian diplomatic mission staff in Kabul expressed the desire to come back home after the last month's attack on residences of Indian health and security personnel in Kabul which led to the loss of seven Indians' life.
The Minister was reacting to media reports that earlier said that two Indian members of Indian mission staff in Kabul wanted to get back home after the attack on Indians' guest houses in Kabul.
Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry has issued another statement to allay fears regarding India folding back its health missions in Afghanistan. It assured that many of health facilities in the neighbouring country were functioning as before and the medical work by Indians in Kabul after the recent attack on their health and security personnel would soon be resumed.
The Ministry spokesman denied reports that in the wake of February 26 terrorist attack in Kabul the work of the Indian Medical Missions (IMMs) in Afghanistan was suspended. He said that "the IMMs in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif were functioning normally.
"In the aftermath of the terrorist attack targeting the IMM in Kabul, in which one doctor was killed and others injured, the work of the IMM has been temporarily suspended. The Embassy of India and its other offices in Afghanistan continue to function normally in the face of extremely demanding and difficult circumstances."
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