Date:21/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/21/stories/2008052154850100.htm

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99 Indian prisoners to be freed

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: As a goodwill gesture, Pakistan announced the release of 96 Indian fishermen and three other prisoners as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived here on Tuesday for talks with his Pakistan counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The prisoners are to be released on May 24. The fishermen, taken into custody for entering Pakistani waters, have been awaiting release from Karachi’s Malir jail since 2006 when their nationality status was confirmed.

The identity of the three civilian prisoners was not immediately known. India has verified the nationality status of 13 Indians in Pakistani prisons, while that of 27 others is under way, Indian officials said.

The Indian High Commission here has requested consular access to 165 other prisoners in Pakistani jails to confirm their nationality.