ISLAMABAD – As a goodwill gesture amid tense situation with India, PakistanFriday announced to release 360 Indian prisoners including 355 fishermenand five civilians during the month of April.
The prisoners will be released in four batches, scheduled as 100 each onApril 8, 15 and 29 while 60 prisoners including 55 fishermen and fivecivilians will be freed on April 29, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr MohammadFaisal said here at the weekly press briefing.
He said the decision had been taken for 360 out of the total 537 Indianprisoners, who had completed their sentence.
“Pakistan expects that India will reciprocate the gesture to release 347Pakistani prisoners including 249 civilians and 98 fishermen, currentlylanguishing in Indian jails,” he said.
In response to a question on Special Envoy of US State Secretary AmbassadorZalmay Khalilzad pressing Pakistan to deliver more on Afghanistan, thespokesman said, “Pakistan will take every decision in its nationalinterests.”
Ambassador Khalilzad, who is currently in Islamabad, met Foreign MinisterShah Mehmood Qureshi and updated on the recent Doha talks on Afghanreconciliation and intra-Afghan dialogue, he said.
On the possibility of meeting between US President Donald Trump and PrimeMinister Imran Khan following the desire of former, the spokesman saidthere was no update on the matter.
He expressed disappointment over India’s decision to postpone the Kartarpurmeeting scheduled for April 2 and said talks were vital to finalize themodalities to open the Corridor before the upcoming 550th anniversary ofBaba Guru Nanak in November.
Read Top Stories
He said Pakistan was committed for the opening of Corridor as per thecommitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan with the Sikh community.
When asked to comment on a statement by Foreign Minister Shah MehmoodQureshi that some elements were fanning unrest in Gilgit Baltistan, hesaid, “It was none other than India which was involved in subversiveactivities in Pakistan as in case of its spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.”
On a note verbale from the Indian government seeking consular access toJadhav, he said Pakistan was awaiting the verdict of International Court ofJustice which had reserved its decision after completion of hearing of thecase.
In response to India’s recent deals with other countries on the purchase ofweapons, he said Pakistan was concerned about the arms race which couldundermine the region’s peace.
He said Pakistan was cognizant of its defence needs and would take everymeasure to secure its geographical boundaries.
To a question on conferment of Sheikh Zayed medal – the highest award ofthe United Arab Emirates- on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thespokesman said it was a bilateral matter pertaining to two sovereigncountries and Pakistan had nothing to comment on it.
