Islamabad: At least 43 Pakistani prisoners will be returned from Sri Lanka, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Friday following an agreement with the Sri Lankan government.
The announcement was made after a meeting with High Commissioner of Sri Lanka (former) Admiral Ravindra Chandra Srivijay Gunaratne, Home Secretary Khurram Ali Agha, Head of National Database and Registration Agency (NADRA) Lt. General Muhammad Munir and other officials.
Describing the deal as a “positive result” of diplomatic efforts, he said the deal to return the Pakistani prisoners would be finalized in a few days.
Read about 6,000 people waiting to die in prisons across the country
Thanking Sri Lanka for its cooperation, the Minister of Home Affairs said that the relationship between the two countries has steadily strengthened over the past seven decades.
Naqvi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to developing bilateral relations in various sectors.
The two countries promised to develop cooperation, especially in security and the fight against drugs.
On April 4, Pakistan and Iran reached an agreement to release prisoners held in their respective jails on humanitarian grounds. 160 Pakistanis are detained in Iranian prisons, and 60 Iranians are detained in Pakistan.
The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was briefed on February 21 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the 23,000 Pakistanis currently incarcerated in foreign jails, including more than 15,000 prisoners.
Meanwhile, on January 1, Pakistan submitted a list of 231 Indian prisoners, including 184 fishermen and 47 civilians, to the Indian High Commission. The Indian government also shared a list of 418 detained Pakistani prisoners.
