Consular access given by India to twelve Pakistanis in jail

Delhi: India has offered to provide consular access to twelve Pakistani nationals who went missing near the International Border and who are said to be in various Indian jails, as per a report.

Pakistan has sought India’s help to trace its nationals.

As per a report in The Hindu, the list of the Pakistani nationals was given to India during the recent Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers.

The 12 Pakistanis reportedly crossed over into Indian territory inadvertently, as per the BSF.

The BSF also said that the Pakistan Rangers were contacted regarding the matter but there was no response from their side.

As per the Daily, the BSF told the Rangers that in the absence of any response, the Pakistani nationals were handed over to the local police.

Meanwhile, India on their part has taken up the matter of a Jammu resident, who went missing near the IB.

He is said to be in the custody of Pakistan authorities.

On Deptember 12, as part of efforts to bring peace on the border, India and Pakistan had decided to put a complete ban on firing of mortar shells along International Border in Jammu and Kashmir which has claimed the lives of several civilians and damaged their houses, as per PTI.

The two sides also agreed to jointly resolve sensitive issues like ceasefire violations and cross-border infiltration through timely exchange of information, including via email and over telephone.

At the conclusion of the three-day DG-level talks between BSF and Pak Rangers in New Delhi, the two sides inked a 20-point joint record of discussion to follow in the future.

(With Agency inputs)