Pakistan, India swap lists of nuclear installations, prisoners

Pakistan and India on Monday, the first day of the new year, exchanged, through diplomatic channels, the lists of nuclear installations and facilities, and number of prisoners in each other’s countries, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to Foreign Office, the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, inter alia, provides that both countries shall inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities, falling within its definition, on 1st January of each calendar year.

Signed on 31 December 1988, the Agreement entered into force on 27 January 1991.

Pursuant to Article-II of the Agreement, the list of nuclear installations and facilities in Pakistan was officially handed over to a representative of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Simultaneously, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also handed over the list of India’s nuclear installations and facilities to a representative of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

The two countries have been exchanging the lists since 1st January 1992.

Meanwhile, Pakistan also handed over a list of 231 Indian prisoners including 184 fishermen and 47 civilians lodged in its jails to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Similarly, the Indian government also shared the list of 418 Pakistani prisoners in its custody with a representative of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi which included 337 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen, the Foreign Office statement said.

The simultaneous exchange of lists took place in pursuance of the Consular Access Agreement of 2008. Under the agreement, both countries are required to exchange the lists of prisoners in each other’s custody on 1st January and 1st July, every year.

The Government of India has been urged to release and repatriate all those Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen, who have completed their respective sentence and whose national status stands confirmed.

A request for grant of consular access to missing defence personnel of 1965 and 1971 wars, and special consular access to 77 civil prisoners has also been made.