Delhi asks Islamabad to protect Indians in its jails from Covid-19

India also demands early visa for psychiatrists to visit Pakistan to meet psychologically-challenged prisoners

India on Friday asked Pakistan to protect its citizens currently incarcerated in the jails of the neighbouring country from the SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

New Delhi also asked Islamabad to expeditiously grant visas to the psychiatrists it wanted to send “to asses the mental condition” of the psychologically challenged prisoners incarcerated in the jails in Pakistan, but believed to be citizens of India.

Islamabad had in early 2018 conveyed to New Delhi that it had identified altogether 27 prisoners, who had been psychologically challenged, believed to be citizens of India but at present lodged in the jails across Pakistan. New Delhi had proposed to send a team of psychiatrists to visit the jails in Pakistan and meet the psychologically challenged prisoners believed to be citizens of India. Islamabad too had on March 7, 2018, agreed to allow the team of psychiatrists from India to visit Pakistan.

But, although more than 30 months passed since then, Islamabad so far did not grant visas to the psychiatrists from India to visit Pakistan – notwithstanding several reminders by New Delhi.

New Delhi on Friday handed over to Islamabad a list of 340 Pakistani citizens incarcerated in the jails in India. The list included 77 Pakistani fishermen, who were caught by Indian Coast Guard after they crossed the maritime boundary while fishing in the Arabian Sea.

“India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country,” Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi. “In this context, India has also urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 80 Pakistan prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation by Pakistan.”

Islamabad too shared with New Delhi a list of 319 Indian or “believed-to-be Indian” citizens now held in the jails in Pakistan. The list included 270 Indian fishermen, who had been arrested after inadvertently entering into the waters of Pakistan.

The two sides exchanged the lists of each other's citizens held in each other's prisons on Friday, in keeping with a 2008 bilateral agreement.

The agreement provides for exchange of such lists twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.

New Delhi called upon Islamabad for early release and repatriation of Indian civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel and fishermen, along with their boats, from the custody of Pakistan.

In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of three Indian civilian prisoners and 185 Indian fishermen to India whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to Indian fishermen and 22 civilian prisoners who are in Pakistan's custody and are believed to be Indian, said Srivastava.

India also proposed to organise an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee to Pakistan to visit the jails in the neighbouring country.

“In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be Indian civil prisoners and fishermen,” said the MEA spokesperson.

India and Pakistan on Friday also exchanged the lists of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the bilateral Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations.

The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988 and entered into force on January 27, 1991 provides that India and Pakistan would inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the pact on January 1 every year. “This is the 30th consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 01, 1992,” the MEA stated.