New Delhi — India and Pakistan agreed Tuesday to release hundreds of fishermen and other civilians in each other's jails - a goodwill measure that comes as part of a peace process between the two countries.
Both sides also agreed to provide better consular access to prisoners, notify each other of arrests and join forces to stamp out terrorism, according to a joint statement. The announcements came after two-day talks between home secretaries from both sides.
These decisions came ahead of a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in New York on Sept. 14 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session.
But mistrust still runs deep between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and those prisoners actually convicted of espionage - including an Indian sentenced to death in Pakistan - are not covered by the deal.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.