Twelve civilians and six fishermen, all Pakistanis, were among the 18 people released from Indian prisons and welcomed back to LAHORE.
The Indian government officially released the convicts when they crossed the Wagah border and were turned over to the Punjab Rangers.
People cheered and chanted patriotic anthems as the repatriates entered Pakistan. There was a palpable sense of relief and joy in the air as the audience cheered “Pakistan Zindabad” (Long Live Pakistan).
Inmates who were recently released were given a hero’s welcome back to their communities. These men and women included: Muhammad Hanif, Muhammad Waqas, Nazish, Ghulam Rasool, Muhammad Ramzan, Muhammad Tariq, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Shan, Luqman Muhammad Chandani, Raheb Ali Chandani, Ahmed, Roshan Ali, Abdul Amin, Muhammad Arif, Fareed Alam, Muhammad Ramzan, and Mushtaq Ahmed.
These detainees’ release and return were made possible in large part thanks to the efforts of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. In particular, over the past four months, Pakistan has released 400 Indian detainees, including a sizeable number of fishermen, in response to India’s goodwill efforts. India, on the other hand, has released an extra 18 Pakistani inmates to their home country after only releasing 22 in May 2023.
The humanitarian initiative was launched after Pakistan and India swapped prisoner lists on July 1. There are currently 308 Indian inmates incarcerated in Pakistani jails, including 42 civilians and 266 fishermen, according to the shared records. In contrast, there are 417 Pakistanis incarcerated in Indian prisons, 343 of whom are civilians and 74 of whom are fishermen. With today’s discharge, India’s incarcerated Pakistani population has been reduced by 18.