Govt seeks details on 182 prisoners in Pak

This is the first time the Pakistan Government has officially recorded data of Indian prisoners.

An inquiry into the identity of the 182 Indian prisoners, languishing in Pakistani jails on "unknown charges" since the 1971 war as disclosed by a Pakistani official report, is already underway, a top official in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

HT Image

Names on the list of 182 given by Pakistan may not be entirely accurate, as many have lost their memory, the official said. Hence, Government would seek consular access to the 182 prisoners in Pakistani jails to crosscheck their identity, he added.

According to him the Government would also ask for complete details and photographs of the jailed Indian prisoners.

The official Pakistani report said the 182 Indian prisoners, including five women, have been languishing in Pakistani jails on "unknown charges" since the war in 1971 and many have lost memory.

Pakistan's interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao will present the report in the Senate, The News reported on Wednesday.

The Government is also trying to match the names of the prisoners released by Pakistan with its own list of Indian prisoners, missing since the 1971 Indo-Pak war.