Raqib Bilal, a Pakistani national imprisoned in India, was repatriated via the Attari-Wagah border on Monday, according to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
“Consistent with the vision of the government, [the high commission] will continue to make every effort for the repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails,” the high commission wrote in a post on X.
Dawn.com approached Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan for comment and he confirmed the development, stating that a Pakistani national imprisoned in India has been released.
In July, the foreign ministries of Islamabad and New Delhi exchanged lists detailing the number of prisoners held in each other’s countries.
According to a statement from the FO, “The government of Pakistan handed over a list of 246 Indian or believed-to-be-Indian prisoners (53 civilian prisoners and 193 fishermen) to a representative of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad.
“Simultaneously, the government of India shared a list of 463 Pakistani or believed-to-be-Pakistani prisoners (382 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen) to a diplomat from the High Commission for Pakistan, New Delhi.”
As many as 23,456 Pakistanis are currently behind bars overseas, with the largest number of inmates, 12,156, being held in Saudi Arabia, the FO informed the National Assembly in May.
