Indian delegation visits Karachi Jail, appeals for easy conditions for jailed fishermen

Karachi, June 11 : A four-member Indian delegation of the Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners visited the Karachi Jail last evening, and said that both the countries should work towards making conditions easier for the jailed fishermen.

The Karachi jail authorities told the delegation that there were 415 Indian prisoners in the jail, of which 34 were minors housed at the young offenders' school.

Over the next two days, i.e today and tomorrow, the delegation will also visit jails in Rawalpindi and Lahore. The visit follows up the first meeting of the Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners held on February 25-27 this year in New Delhi. The delegation consists of retired Indian judges.

The delegation arrived here yesterday on their first visit to Pakistan to discuss the situation with their counterparts in Pakistan for the early release of Indian and Pakistani prisoners held in both countries.

The Pakistani Foreign minister and the Indian External Affairs minister had formed the committee in January 2007 to recommend steps for humane treatment and expeditious release of prisoners of the respective countries in each other's jails.

As agreed earlier, the visits of the committee will be on a reciprocal basis. The visit of the Indian side will be followed by a visit of Pakistani members to Indian jails to meet Pakistani risoners.

ANI