mAd_ScIeNtIsT

http://www.dawn.com/2001/07/20/top4.htm

ISLAMABAD, July 19: The interior ministry said on Thursday that it had thoroughly combed all the prisons in the country but found no Indian prisoner of war there.

However, according to an interior ministry spokesman, there were 135 Indian nationals in various jails who were mostly involved in illegal border crossing cases.

Out of these prisoners, 70 have already been cleared for deportation but there cases were under process at the Indian High Commission.

Most of these prisoners had no travel documents, the spokesman said, adding that they would be deported as soon as documents were handed over to them and other arrangements were made by the high commission.

When asked where those Indians had been arrested, the spokesman said border crossing was not confined to any particular area.

The fishermen arrested in the coastal areas of Karachi and Balochistan would not be deported by sea in view of the whether conditions, he said.

mAd_ScIeNtIsT

http://www.dawn.com/2001/07/20/top5.htm

ISLAMABAD, July 19: President Pervez Musharraf will study the possibility of remitting the sentences of 25 Indians, jailed in Pakistan on criminal charges, an official said on Thursday.

These 25 are among 171 Indians in Pakistan prisons, held on a variety of charges, said Tasneem Nurani, secretary in the interior ministry. However, Nurani added that Pakistan had not been holding any Indian soldier since the 1971 war, reports IANS on its website.

About the 25 convicted Indians who have less than one year to serve in jails, Mr Nurani said:"The president has ordered to put before him their cases for remission of the sentences."

Musharraf ordered a nationwide search on Wednesday for jailed Indian soldiers in pursuance of a promise made to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Agra summit.

Nurani said on Thursday:"We don't have any Indian POWs in our jails." He said the government had launched a combing operation in all Pakistan jails on Thursday following instructions from the president. "But I am dead sure there is no such prisoner."

He said the jail authorities had been asked to identify each and every prisoner in all jails and submit the list within 15 days. The president had directed all provincial governors and other authorities to make sure that no Indian prisoners of war were still held in Pakistan, he added.

Nurani said this was not the first time India had called for the release of its POWs. " This is strange that India has given the number of prisoners."

Families of 54 Indian soldiers who went missing during the 1971 war, claim that the men are holed up in Pakistan jails and that they have evidence to back their claims. Vajpayee had taken up the issue with Musharraf at the Agra summit when the families demanded to know the truth.

" We invite them (India) to provide clues, if they have any, about these 54 Indian POWs so that our task to trace them could become easier," Nurani said.

A joint meeting of the National Security Council and the cabinet was informed on Wednesday that a similar exercise was undertaken during President Zia-ul Haq's regime, but no Indian prisoner was traced.

"I have made a commitment to Vajpayee that I would get back to him on this matter," Musharraf said. "I am a soldier and there is no point to keep POWs even after 30 years."

Among the 171 Indians in Pakistan jails, three face death sentences. Sixty-five of them will be deported once the Indian high commission completes certain formalities.

Pakistan, officials said, had asked India to search for 395 Pakistan soldiers who went missing in 1971. India told Pakistan that it did not have any of them. "We never took up the matter again," one official said.

mAd_ScIeNtIsT

Hmm if India keeps bleating on about those 54 allegedly imprisoned soldiers, maybe Pakistan ought to start demanding that India releases 395 Pakistani soldiers who have been in Indian jails since 1971!!!!! http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/biggrin.gif

Face it. Those 54 Indian soldiers died in December 1971 just like those 395 Pakistani soldiers did.

[This message has been edited by mAd_ScIeNtIsT (edited July 20, 2001).]

Abdali

I agree to that coz it makes no sense to keep them for that long they are a drain on the resources. Just ignore the Indians.

CM

Well said both of you.
If those people are alive it would be a mircale.

------------------
Our's not to reason why,
Our's but to do and die:

Malik73

Pakistan, officials said, had asked India to search for 395 Pakistan soldiers who went missing in 1971. India told Pakistan that it did not have any of them. "We never took up the matter again," one official said.


Brilliant point. We can trust the Indian's when they say they have none of our soldiers still alive and in their jails. So why can they not trust us? And this is a nation hat says it wants to build trust and friendship between our nations!

spatehk

hmm right.yaar.....but i think oin india human right activists are more free and they will easily find out any pakistani,if ,there in any indian jail......

aft6er sorry to those 395 pak soldiers and 54 indian soldiers...to their relatives as well......