January 3, 2023
Pakistan, India exchange lists of nuclear facilities
and prisoners as part of new year tradition
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Pakistan and India on Sunday exchanged the lists of nuclear sites and prisoners in each other’s custody as part of various agreements in place between the two countries, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) announced.
According to the FO, the tradition of exchanging the nuclear installations and facilities list has existed since January 1992, whereas the first exchange of the prisoners’ list took place in 2008.
India has simultaneously handed over a list of its nuclear installations and facilities to the Pakistani mission in New Delhi, the statement said.
The statement said Pakistan and India also exchanged lists of prisoners in each other's custody as part of the Consular Access Agreement dating back to 2008, which requires both countries to exchange list of inmates on January 1 and July 1 every year.
Pakistan shared a list of 705 Indian prisoners detained in Pakistan, including 51 civilian prisoners and 654 fishermen. The Indian government shared a list of 434 Pakistani prisoners in India, including 339 civilian prisoners and 95 fishermen.
The statement also said Pakistan has requested the early release and repatriation of 51 of its civilian prisoners and 94 fishermen who have completed their sentences. A request for special consular access to 56 civil prisoners has also been made, it said.
Maritime trespassing is common in India and Pakistan because of disputed maritime boundaries and small fishermen lacking good navigational tools.
Therefore, the arrest of fishermen found violating the maritime boundary is common, but their release is a complicated process due to hostile relations between the two countries.
It may take a year or more for arrested fishermen to be released, but in most cases, they lose their fishing boats, which are usually kept by the authorities that arrest them.
The annual exchanges come amid strained ties between the two countries over Kashmir.
Back in August 2019, India stripped Kashmir of the special autonomy it has had for seven decades, prompting a furious response from nuclear-armed rival Pakistan.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since it was partitioned in 1947.
Indian-administered Kashmir has held a special position within the country historically, thanks to Article 370 - a clause in the Indian constitution which gave it significant autonomy, including its own constitution, a separate flag, and independence over all matters except foreign affairs, defense and communications.
On August 5, 2019 India revoked that seven-decade-long privileged status - as the governing party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had promised in its 2019 election manifesto. The Hindu extremist BJP has long opposed Article 370 and had repeatedly called for its abolishment.
Pakistan fiercely condemned the development, branding it "illegal" and vowing to "exercise all possible options" against it.
It downgraded diplomatic ties with India and suspended all trade.
Within Indian-administered Kashmir, opinions about the territory's rightful allegiance are diverse and strongly held. Many do not want it to be governed by India, preferring either independence or union with Pakistan instead, according to BBC.
Religion is one factor: Jammu and Kashmir is more than 60% Muslim, making it the only state within India where Muslims are in the majority.
Critics of the BJP fear this move is designed to change the state's demographic make-up of - by giving people from the rest of the country to right to acquire property and settle there permanently.
In November 2022, India and Pakistan exchanged harsh statements over Kashmir.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Indian Northern Command, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, said: "When the government of India orders, the army is ready to take action on Pakistan-occupied (POK)."
Indian calls Pakistan administered Kashmir as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).
General Upendra Dwivedi has also said that a resolution has been passed in the Parliament on the issue of PoK. The Indian Army is fully prepared for every order of the government. He said that whenever the government orders, the army will move ahead with its full preparation. "We will not let their plans succeed."
The Pakistan Army Tweeted the "unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian Army officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of Indian Armed Forces' delusional mindset." According to the Pakistan Army, the Indian military would do well to refrain from reckless rhetoric and aggressive communication to support the "regressive ideology of their political masters in the interest of regional peace."
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor -in-Chief of the Journal of America: www.journalofamerica.net. email: asghazali2011@gmail.com
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
