RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has approved the humanitarian proposals forwarded by India regarding the civilian prisoners incarcerated in both the countries and also separately proposed exchange of prisoners above 60 and below 18 years of ages.

According to a Foreign Office statement, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, after consulting with all the stakeholders, has approved the humanitarian proposals, which had been received from the Indian side, regarding the civilian prisoners incarcerated in both the countries.

These include: (i) exchange of three categories of prisoners, women, mentally challenged or with special needs and those above 70 years of age; (ii) revival of the judicial committee mechanism, and (iii) facilitating the visit of medical experts (from both sides) to meet and examine the mentally challenged prisoners for their repatriation.

Additionally, the Foreign Office stated that the foreign minister has also extended two more humanitarian proposals including, a) exchange of prisoners above 60 years of age, and b) exchange of child prisoners, below 18 years of age.

“The foreign minister expressed the hope that India would positively reciprocate Pakistan’s proposals, in the spirit that they have been made,” the statement stated.

It stated that the foreign minister also said that it was his desire that through such initiatives, Pakistan and India would embark on the road to a comprehensive dialogue, and make a conscious effort to de-escalate the extremely vitiated current environment and the situation on the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary.