Pakistan and India exchanged updated lists of prisoners through diplomatic channels on July 1, 2025. This exchange is part of a 2008 bilateral agreement on Consular Access. Under this deal, both countries must share details of prisoners in their custody twice a year—on January 1 and July 1. This ongoing process is meant to promote transparency and ensure basic rights for detained individuals.
According to the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan handed over a list of 246 Indian prisoners. Among them were 53 civilians and 193 fishermen believed to have crossed into Pakistani waters by mistake. The list was formally given to a representative from the Indian High Commission. Meanwhile, India shared a list of 463 Pakistani prisoners with Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi. This included 382 civilians and 81 fishermen.
Pakistan has strongly urged India to provide immediate consular access to all these detainees. It also called for their early release and repatriation. Officials emphasized the human cost of delayed legal procedures. Many of these prisoners have served their sentences but remain in jail due to administrative delays or missing identity verification.
Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to protecting the rights of its citizens abroad. He stated that regular prisoner exchanges are not just a formality but a vital humanitarian step. He also noted that both governments should improve mechanisms for quicker verification and repatriation. He added that cooperation in such matters could reduce long-standing tensions.
Though political relations between the two countries often remain tense, such prisoner exchanges offer a small but significant window of cooperation. They bring some relief to families separated by borders and legal systems. By building on these humanitarian efforts, both nations can slowly move toward more peaceful engagement in other areas as well.