Change of guard in Delhi may force Pak to review N-policy

These 250 prisoners, mostly Muslims, are mainly under detention for overstaying in Pakistan, usually with relatives in Karachi or other cities in Sindh province. These prisoners form the largest chunk of Indians held anywhere in Pakistan, official sources disclosed. “They are in addition to the fishermen detained by the government,” clarifies anofficial, although there are no exact numbers on the number of fishermen detained by either side.

The Pakistan government estimates, however, that there are over 1,100 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails apart from its fishermen, mostly in cases of illegal border crossing and cattle theft in the border areas. The two countries released at least 159 fishermen last year under an agreement between the two prime ministers in Male during the 8th SAARC summit but before progress could be made on the exchange of other prisoners, the talks entered a deadlock.

“For us, the talks are over unless the new Indian government takes an new initiative,” says Mushahid Hussain, Pakistan’s Minister for Information and a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan says India went back on an agreement in June 1997 under which a working group was to have been established on Kashmir.

There are fears that relations between the two countries may deteriorate with the installation of a BJP government in Delhi. Pakistanpremier Nawaz Sharif described outgoing Indian prime minister I K Gujral as a “good man”. Addressing a seminar in Islamabad, Sharif said “I am sad to see him go.”