Pakistan shows goodwill guesture
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-26 20:10
Pakistan said Friday it will free 71 imprisoned Indian fishermen as "a
goodwill gesture" ahead of talks with its longtime rival.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Indians had been arrested after straying
in Pakistani territorial waters, but that the prisoners would be released
Tuesday when talks between the nuclear-armed rivals begin.
"The Government of Pakistan has decided as a goodwill gesture to release 71
Indian fishermen," the ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan didn't say when the Indians were detained or if others would remain
in jail.
The hand-over was to take place at the Wagha border post on Tuesday, as two
days of talks among Pakistani and Indian Interior and Home Ministry officials
begin in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Pakistan and India routinely arrest the other nations' fishermen for alleged
border violations in the Arabian Sea. Many are held for years before being
released.
Pakistan and India share a history of bitter relations mainly because of
their dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim.
In 2004 the two South Asian rival nations began a series of negotiations to
settle Kashmir and other disputes. They also agreed to work for the quick
release of arrested fishermen.
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