Islamabad, Sep.8 (ANI): India and Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the release of prisoners and fishermen, including those suffering from ailments, in the past year or so.
In a joint statement issued here after delegation-level talks, Foreign Ministers S.M. Krishna and Hina Rabbani Khar said that they agreed that the Agreement on Consular Access should be implemented in letter and spirit, including immediate notification of arrests by either side, consular access to all persons within three months of arrests, release of prisoners within one month of completion of sentence and confirmation of their national status.
According to the joint statement, both mnisters also welcomed the continued work of the Judicial Committee and agreed with the need to implement its recommendations on various aspects of release and repatriation of prisoners and fishermen of each country by the other and adoption of the humane approach in dealing with cases of fishermen and prisoners, especially women, elderly, juvenile, and those terminally ill or suffering from serious illness or physical/ mental disability.
Commenting on the recent talks held between the Director General of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard in New Delhi in July, they agreed to the importance of continuing their meetings.
Both further directed that the issues relating to fishermen as contained in the joint statement issued after the Interior/Home Secretaries talks between Pakistan and India in March 2011 would be further examined by the relevant authorities of the two countries.
Both welcomed the decision during the last meeting of the Home/ Interior Secretaries of the two countries in May 2012 to initiate discussions in order to strengthen mutual cooperation in criminal matters.
They also attached importance to promoting peace and security, including confidence building measures, between the two countries, and agreed to convene separate meetings of the expert groups on nuclear and conventional CBMs, in New Delhi in the second half of December 2012. (ANI)
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Comments:
Muhammad Khalid Butt
September 9, 2012 at 9:37 PM
Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi is still waiting NOC from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in respect of Sikandar-e-Azam Sani (a Pakistani National) who has been released from the central jail Kot Bhalwal, Jammu by the orders of the apex Supreme Court of India dated 8th August, 2012 and brought to Delhi Lampur on 14th August, 2012 & lodged at Sewa Sadan, Rehabilitation & Reform Home. His repatriation is subject to NOC from the MEA. PHC will prepare/issue Emergency Travel Certificate/Document as and when his NOC is issued by the MEA.