India sets free 70 Pak prisoners

Wagah, Aug 14 (UNI) The chains came off for 70 Pakistani civil prisoners as they walked free across the Radcliffe Line to celebrate their country's 61st Independence Day with their families and brethren.

The prisoners which included 48 fishermen were handed over to the Pakistan Rangers by the Border Security Force (BSF) at the joint border check post today. The fishermen who had been in jails in Gujarat for the last two years were apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard after they strayed into Indian waters in the Arabian Sea.

The other prisoners included 16 who were brought from the Jammu central jail. Three were brought to the checkpost from Rajasthan, one from Delhi and the remaining two from Amritsar Central Jail.

The two prisoners who were brought from Amritsar Central Jail, identified as Liaqat Ali and Mohammed Khan were each given a cash amount of Rs 40,000 by the district administration. The compensation was given on the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as even after they had completed their jail sentences their repatriated was delayed by two to three months due to various reasons.

Pakistan had yesterday repatriated 134 Indian prisoners including 100 fishermen.

UNI