Pak prisoner issue may overshadow Indo-Pak talks

The plight of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails may overshadow the forthcoming Pakistan-India ministerial talks scheduled for May 21 in Islamabad, according to diplomatic sources.

Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will travel to Pakistan to hold a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi to review the fourth round of composite dialogue that concluded last year. Lack of response from India to Pakistani requests seeking consular access to Pakistani prisoners, reservations over poor conditions in Indian jails, concern over the deaths of two Pakistani prisoners and delay on the part of India in providing information to Pakistan about its prisoners have become one of the biggest impediments in improving bilateral relations in recent months. This has happened despite Pakistan’s release of Indian spy Kashmir Singh in March, its postponement of the execution of Sarabjit Singh and the provision of consular access to all 400 Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails. Under bilateral agreements between New Delhi and Islamabad, India is bound to inform Pakistan whenever Pakistani nationals are taken into custody. The names of Khalid Mehmood and Muhammad Akram were not included in a list 0f 147 Pakistani prisoners provided by India to Islamabad on March 31.

Many prisoners are suffering from psychological disorders because of long imprisonment, improper food, lack of medical assistance and other amenities. Some do not even recognise their relatives.