25 Pakistanis return home after release from Indian jails via Wagah border

25 Pakistanis return home after release from Indian jails via Wagah border.

Key points

• Imran AyubAmeer Hamza Published August 29, 2026 Updated August 29, 2026 09: 23pm.
• While 53 Pakistani fishermen were in Indian prisons, according to the latest available figures before Saturday's repatriation, 198 Indian fishermen remained imprisoned in Pakistan.
• FCS spokesperson Ghulam Rasool Sheikh informed Dawn that the 25 fishermen had been handed over to the Punjab Rangers after their repatriation.
• The statement came as part of an exchange of lists between the two countries in pursuance of the Agreement on Consular Access, 2008.
• On July 1, Pakistan pressed India to release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences.

Imran AyubAmeer Hamza Published August 29, 2026 Updated August 29, 2026 09: 23pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Twentyfive Pakistani fishermen returned home on Saturday after being published from Indian jails, crossing into Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border in Lahore, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi stated.

In practice, the prisoners crossed the border in the afternoon after completing immigration formalities and were handed over to Pakistani authorities. Pakistani mission authorities facilitated the repatriation process and were present at the border.

"The Government of Pakistan will continue its efforts for the release and repatriation of all Pakistani citizens detained in Indian jails, " the high commission remarked.

After their repatriation, the Fishermen's Cooperative Society issued a statement congratulating the community on the release of the 25 fishermen. This person it stated hailed from Karachi and Thatta.

"The Fishermen's Cooperative Society (FCS) extends heartfelt congratulations to the fishing community on the release of 25 Pakistani fishermen who had been imprisoned in Indian jails, " the statement remarked.

Meanwhile, the FCS further expressed hope that "the released fishermen would return to their homes and families and resume their normal lives".

Earlier this month, in a letter addressed to the prime ministers of Pakistan and India, the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF-India), the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) and the families of imprisoned fishermen pressed both governments to immediately release and repatriate all imprisoned prisoners who have completed their sentences and their nationality had been verified by their respective governments.

Meanwhile, the letter pressed both governments to apply the occasion of the Independence Day celebrations to demonstrate a shared commitment to humanity, justice, and the dignity of ordinary individuals by releasing the prisoners.

On July 1, Pakistan pressed India to release and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences. The prisoners included 33 fishermen, Foreign Office remarked at the time.

Notably, the statement came as part of an exchange of lists between the two countries in pursuance of the Agreement on Consular Access, 2008. The agreement requires both sides to share the lists of prisoners in each other's custody on January 1 and July 1, every year.

While 53 Pakistani fishermen were in Indian prisons, according to the latest available figures before Saturday's repatriation, 198 Indian fishermen remained imprisoned in Pakistan. Plenty of among them had continued to languish in prison years after completing their sentences.

In practice, the sentences of 10 Indian fishermen concluded on July 16, 2021; 115 on March 16, 2022; 21 on November 17, 2022; 10 on January 31, 2023; and 22 on July 18, 2024.

Imran Ayub is a Karachi-based reporter for Dawn with over 25 years of experience in the field. He reports on political parties, crime, telecom, and local administration systems. He can be discovered on X at @MixPatti.

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