Pakistan to release 99 Indian nationals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday announced it would release 99 Indians, majority of them fishermen, as a "goodwill gesture" to mark the visit of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, which saw the resumption of the composite dialogue after a gap of six months.
    
Rahman Malik, advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, made the announcement just before the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan began talks to resume the composite dialogue process.
    
Mukherjee, who arrived here today, will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi tomorrow  the first high-level contact between the two countries since the change of government in Islamabad in March.
    
Malik, a senior leader of the ruling PPP, said 96 Indian fishermen and 3 civilians would be released on May 24. The Indian government had verified their nationality and they would be going home shortly.
    
Pakistan's Maritime security agency had arrested the Indians for allegedly violating country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
    
India released 14 Pakistani fishermen last week.
    
Steps to address the problems of Indian and Pakistani prisoners held in jails in both countries are expected to figure in the discussions between the foreign secretaries and talks between Mukherjee and Qureshi.