Amid strained ties, India and Pakistan exchange list of nuclear installations, civilian prisoners

New Delhi: India and Pakistan on Thursday exchanged the lists of each other’s nuclear installations and facilities covered under a 1988 agreement, which survived the 1999 Kargil War as well as the 2025 cross-border military flare-up between the two South Asian neighbours.

New Delhi and Islamabad also exchanged the lists of fishermen and other civilian prisoners hailing from each other’s nations and lodged in each other’s prisons.

The exchange of the lists of nuclear installations and facilities, covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities, took place simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The agreement was signed on December 31, 1988, and entered into force on January 27, 1991, provided that India and Pakistan would inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the pact on the first day of every calendar year. The exchange in New Delhi and Islamabad on Thursday was the 35th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992.

Though the April 22 killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, at Baisaran near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir by the terrorists owing allegiance to the anti-India Lashkar-e-Tayyiba based in Pakistan resulted in a cross-border military flare-up from May 7 to 10, the two sides stuck to the agreement and shared the lists on Thursday.

New Delhi has shared with Islamabad through diplomatic channels a list of 33 Pakistani or believed-to-be Pakistani fishermen and 391 other civilian prisoners, currently lodged in the prisons of India. Islamabad too has shared with New Delhi a list of 199 Indian or believed-to-be-Indian fishermen prisoners and 58 other civilian prisoners lodged in the jails in Pakistan.

The 2008 Agreement on Consular Access mandates the sharing of the list between India and Pakistan of each other’s nationals lodged in each other’s prisons on January 1 and July 1 every year.

New Delhi has called for the early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, fishermen along with their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan's custody. Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 167 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the 35 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan's custody, who are believed-to-be-Indians and have not been provided consular access so far. Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be-Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India, the MEA stated in New Delhi.

As a result of sustained efforts by the government, 2,661 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 500 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners who have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2023 till date, the MEA said.