Indians in Pakistani prisons face a hard time

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has undisclosed number of Indian prisoners languishing in the jails there with no consular access and  are subjected to inhuman treatment.

This information was tabled in Parliament by the Union government, which also informed that Pakistani authorities do not inform the Indian commission of the arrest and consular access is not given to these Indians until their sentence is complete. “In many cases, it is delayed even beyond that,” said the government.

India released 38 Pakistani civilian prisoners who had completed their sentence and provided consular access to the rest. “Pakistan, however, released only 19 Indian civilian prisoners,” the government said.

During Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit, the two sides also agreed to establish a committee on prisoners, comprising retired judges, to visit jails in the two countries and to propose steps to ensure humane treatment and expedite release of prisoners who have completed their prison terms.

Instances of inhuman treatment of Indian prisoners have come to the notice of consular officers in Islamabad. Indian prisoners released by Pakistan have also reported ill-treatment during imprisonment, the government said.