NEW DELHI, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- India and Pakistan Monday exchanged nearly 500 civilian prisoners at the northern Wagah border.
"Pakistani prisoners were brought here from different Indian jails to be handed over to Pakistani authorities, " said a report from Amritsar, in India's Punjab state.
India agreed to release 152 Pakistani prisoners while Pakistan agreed to set free 435 Indians who had completed their sentences in Pakistani jails. Among them are 371 fishermen who crossed the marine line between the two countries, The Hindu newspaper said Monday.
"Among 152 Pakistani prisoners, 101 were fishermen who were caught while fishing in Indian waters," said the report.
All Pakistani prisoners from Rajasthan, Gujarat and various parts of Punjab reached the Central Jail in Amritsar where they spent their last night on Indian soil before proceeding to Wagah.
"The Central Jail of Amritsar has turned into a virtual makeshift camp where Jail Superintendent Captain S.P. Singh was busy with his prison register entering names of Pakistani prisoners arriving here from different states," said a jail official.
"I have the orders to accept any prisoner any time of the night even," Singh said.
During official-level talks between the two countries in New Delhi recently, both sides agreed to release civilian prisoners on Sept. 12. They also exchanged a list of prisoners.
