India willing to accept 29 prisoners

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 27. New Delhi is willing to accept 29 of the 31 prisoners, claimed by Islamabad as Indians, as it believes that the two women among them could be Sri Lankan citizens.

(The Pakistan Foreign Office had announced on Thursday that the Government had decided to release 31 Indian prisoners lodged in different jails in Baluchistan. They were taken into custody early this year for crossing over illegally from Iran).

``Pakistan Government is right when it talks about 31 Indian prisoners... When Islamabad allowed consular access to these prisoners on May 30, we did establish their identity as Indians. But the list we have received today contains names of two women, perhaps Sri Lankans, who are married to Indians,'' a senior official in the Indian High Commission said.

A diplomat in the High Commission said when an official of the mission had gone to Quetta in May after Pakistan agreed to provide consular access to the prisoners, he found 29 of them lodged in a jail and two others in another jail. ``The list we got today does not contain the names of the two Indian prisoners lodged in the Quetta jail'', he said.

The Indian mission is expected to take up the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Office and is hopeful of sorting it out amicably. The 31 prisoners were mostly youth who travelled as stowaways in search of greener pastures in the West.

Their tragedy began when the Greek police caught them. From Greece, they are believed to have travelled to Turkey. They were later sent to Iran. ``Perhaps they were pushed into Pakistan'' the officials said.

On the two women, the officials said ``how can we take responsibility for them even assuming they have married Indians? It would give room to all sorts of legal and technical problems.''

In a related development, the fate of another 51 Indian prisoners, reportedly languishing in Pakistani jails even after completing their terms, continued to hang in balance as both the countries traded charges in establishing their credentials.

The News said in a report today that the Indian authorities had refused to accept that 51 `Indian' prisoners had been detained at Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore, though they were ready for release.

Clarifying, Indian diplomats here said they were aware of only 49 Indians in Kot Lakhpat jail and they fell under different categories. Of the 49, Pakistan, it was believed, had refused consular access to 14. And India was not convinced of the identity of four others.

Pakistan wanted to send a few prisoners without following the procedures, they said. On the steps initiated by New Delhi for the prisoners' release they said ``steps are under active consideration.''

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