Indian judicial committee in Pakistan to meet prisoners

Karachi/New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) Pakistan's Sindh
province Governor Eshratul Ibad has called for the release of
innocent Indian and Pakistani prisoners languishing in each
others' jails, as an Indian delegation visited the country to
discuss ways to resolve the matter.
During a meeting with Judicial Committee of prisoners
of both the countries, Governor Ibad said the poor nationals
who are not accused of any serious crimes should be released
on humanitarian grounds.
The Indian team, comprising four retired Judges, will
visit Pakistani jails in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi during
its five-day tour.
They will be accompanied by members of Pakistani
Judicial Committee to prisons there.
The Indian team is part of the eight-member
Indo-Pakistan Joint Judicial Committee for the release of
civilian prisoners. The committee was formed in January 2007.
The Indian delegation was led by Justice (retd)
Nagendra Rai, whereas Pakistani team was represented by
Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid.
Ibad's remarks came a day after Pakistan's Maritime
Security Agency arrested 22 Indian fishermen and seized seven
boats for fishing illegally in the country's territorial
waters.
Last month also the Pakistan maritime agency had
arrested 26 Indian fishermen.
Ibad noted that most of the Indian nationals in
Pakistani jails were fishermen and cases should be considered
on reciprocal basis.
"We discussed in detail the plight of the poor
prisoners lodged in jails in both countries as we believe most
of these people are innocent and not involved in serious
crime," Justice Zahid said.
"The positive thing is that the governor told us the
government was also serious about facilitating release of
innocent Indian prisoners," Zahid said.
The Pakistan government last week released 86 Indian
prisoners most of them fishermen lodged in the Malir jail as a
goodwill gesture.
Ibad also said that government was making efforts to
resolve the issue on urgent basis.
Justice Zahid said the Indian members of the
Pakistan-India judicial committee for prisoners were visiting
Pakistan to discuss ways to expedite the release of nationals
of both countries languishing in each other's jails.
Sources in India said during the visit to Pakistani
jails, the Indian team will look into the cases where the
prisoners' condition demands immediate release. The team will
also look into prison records to ascertain the facts of each
case