India to give consular access to jailed fishermen

NEW DELHI: India today said it would give consular access to jailed fishermen from Pakistan and other nations so that their identity could be established, a day after it announced that 88 Pakistani fishermen would be released over the weekend as a "goodwill" gesture.

The government will facilitate visits of officials of Pakistan and other nations to prisons to identify and establish nationality of fishermen lodged there, a Home Ministry official said.

This came a day after New Delhi announced that it would release 88 Pakistani fishermen over the weekend as "goodwill" gesture after Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed the decision to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif earlier this week.

India has already communicated the decision to release the 88 Pakistani fishermen to their High Commission here and was now awaiting for the "exit documents" from that mission.

Pakistan also said yesterday that it would release 113 Indian fishermen lodged in a jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture. They are expected to be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.

In a telephonic call to Sharif on Tuesday, Modi extended Ramzan wishes and conveyed to him his decision to release detained Pakistani fishermen on this pious occasion.

"The fishermen released will be able to be with their families to observe this blessed month," Modi had said while conveying his decision to Sharif.

Modi had also noted that there was a need for having "peaceful" and "friendly" bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.

India's gesture comes in the backdrop of a war of words with Pakistan over Modi's critical remarks about Pakistan during his Dhaka visit recently and in the wake of India's military action in Myanmar.