India and Pakistan are working on a mechanism for early release of their fishermen crossing the maritime boundary of the other inadvertently.The announcement was made in a joint statement issued in Islamabad at the end of the visit of Indian members of the Judicial Committee on Prisoners to Pakistan. The proposals reportedly include release of the first time offenders at sea itself without any lengthy legal procedures. The Coast Guard and Pakistan Security Agency will work out modalities for this proposal.
The Indian members of the Judicial Committee - retired Justices Nagendra Rai, Amarjeet Chaudhary, A S Gill and M A Khan - visited jails in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi where Indian nationals are held. There are a total of 260 Indian fishermen at the Malir Jail and a juvenile detention centre in Karachi and over 230 other Indian nationals at two prisons in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
The joint statement said during the visit, the two sides shared lists of Indian prisoners and fishermen.It was recommended by the Committee to reconcile the figures of the prisoners and fishermen at the earliest and to allow consular access to the rest of the prisoners and fishermen in the second week of next month. The committee suggested that the nationality verification process should be facilitated. The statement said that prisoners who have completed their jail terms and possessed travel documents should be repatriated soon.
The panel recommended a humane approach in dealing with fishermen, women and juvenile prisoners, terminally ill prisoners, those suffering from serious illness or physical disability and mentally disabled persons. The Committee also recommended that all prisoners should be provided legal aid at all stages of their cases by the two governments.
The two coastal security agencies will submit their report on the issue to the Home and Interior Secretaries before the next round of talks between the two officials.
The Indian members of the Judicial Committee - retired Justices Nagendra Rai, Amarjeet Chaudhary, A S Gill and M A Khan - visited jails in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi where Indian nationals are held. There are a total of 260 Indian fishermen at the Malir Jail and a juvenile detention centre in Karachi and over 230 other Indian nationals at two prisons in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
The joint statement said during the visit, the two sides shared lists of Indian prisoners and fishermen.It was recommended by the Committee to reconcile the figures of the prisoners and fishermen at the earliest and to allow consular access to the rest of the prisoners and fishermen in the second week of next month. The committee suggested that the nationality verification process should be facilitated. The statement said that prisoners who have completed their jail terms and possessed travel documents should be repatriated soon.
The panel recommended a humane approach in dealing with fishermen, women and juvenile prisoners, terminally ill prisoners, those suffering from serious illness or physical disability and mentally disabled persons. The Committee also recommended that all prisoners should be provided legal aid at all stages of their cases by the two governments.
The two coastal security agencies will submit their report on the issue to the Home and Interior Secretaries before the next round of talks between the two officials.
No comments:
Post a Comment