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Free prisoners whose term is over, says Indo-Pak panel

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: An Indo-Pakistan committee of retired judges has urged both countries to release by September 30 each other’s prisoners with valid travel documents and who have completed their sentences. All others must be provided consular access by that date.

The panel has asked the two governments to ensure that courts speedily dispose of their cases.

The committee has recommended early release of women, juvenile prisoners, terminally ill inmates, the mentally disabled and those accused of inadvertent border crossing, overstaying or visiting cities not covered by their visa.

The committee, formed as part of confidence-building measures,is intended to suggest measures to ensure humane treatment of prisoners who often languish in jail for long spells. It wants the Home Secretaries to meet at the earliest to give effect to some of the recommendations.

The committee earlier visited Pakistani jails and this time it went to prisons in Amritsar, Delhi and Jaipur. As many as 131 Pakistani prisoners were produced before it. India says about 400 Pakistani prisoners are in its jails, while Pakistan puts the figure at over 600.

India says that nearly 700 of its nationals are imprisoned in Pakistani jails, a majority of them fishermen who crossed the notional maritime boundary in search of a better catch.India is represented on the committee by Nagendra Rai, Amarjeet Choudhary, A. S. Gill and M. A. Khan. Pakistan has nominated Abdul Qadeer Chaudhary, Fazal Karim, Nasir Aslam Zahid and Mian Muhammad Ajmal.

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