ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani boys who accidentally crossed the border into India have been released from Indian jails, thanks to the efforts of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Ebad Hasan and Zahid Abbas mistakenly went into India in August 2022.
The Indian Border Force (BSF) caught both boys and put them in jail. Ebad Hasan and Zahid Abbas came back to Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border on Friday.
Pakistani prisoners in India
According to a statement from the Foreign Office, there are 418 Pakistani prisoners in the hands of the Indian government, including 337 regular people in jail and 81 fishermen.
On January 1st, Pakistan gave a list of 231 Indian prisoners, including 184 fishermen and 47 regular people, who are kept in its jails, to the Indian High Commission.
This sharing of lists follows the Consular Access Agreement of 2008 between India and Pakistan, which says both countries must exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice a year—on January 1 and July 1.