In a rare act of diplomatic engagement, Pakistan and India on Monday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and prisoners in each other’s custody — a routine but significant step under longstanding bilateral agreements.
The exchange of nuclear facility lists, done annually on January 1 under the 1988 Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations, aims to promote strategic transparency and prevent misunderstandings between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Both countries handed over the lists through diplomatic channels simultaneously in Islamabad and New Delhi.
In a separate exchange under the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, Pakistan shared a list of 231 Indian civilian prisoners and 77 fishermen in its custody. India, in return, provided details of 418 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 45 fishermen held in Indian jails.
Pakistan has requested immediate consular access to 77 Indian prisoners and called for the release and repatriation of those who have completed their sentences, particularly fishermen and civilian detainees. Islamabad also demanded the early release of 185 Pakistani prisoners whose national status has already been confirmed.
Despite enduring diplomatic tension, these biannual exchanges — mandated by binding agreements — remain a symbol of functional engagement between the two countries, offering a glimmer of humanitarian cooperation amid persistent geopolitical friction.
