New Delhi: The families of Indian citizens and fishermen lodged in Pakistan and Indian jails are once waking up to their hopes of being released. In fact, on New Year's Eve, the two countries have handed each other a list of civil prisoners and fishermen who are imprisoned in each other's jails and have been waiting for their release for a long time.

According to the Ministry of Indian Affairs, Pakistan has handed over the list of 51 civilian prisoners and 577 fishermen to India on The New Year. All of them are Indians and are lodged in Pakistani jails. Similarly, India has given a list of 282 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 73 fishermen. All of them are Pakistanis and are lodged in Indian jails. An agreement was signed in 2008 between India and Pakistan to share information about people and fishermen imprisoned in each other's jails, under which the two countries hand over such lists to each other twice a year. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on January 1 and July 1 every year, the two countries hand over the list of citizens and fishermen to each other.

On New Year's Eve, India and Pakistan have exchanged a list of civilian prisoners and fishermen through diplomatic channels in Delhi and Islamabad together. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed that all the names of civil prisoners and fishermen in the list are Indians and are either considered Indian.

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