Fishermen's release: Setting the record straight Senator (R) Iqbal Haider,
Senior Advocate Supreme Court
With reference to Beena Sarwar's article last week about the release of Indian prisoners, I hope you will not mind my adding to your information that it was in pursuance of the Orders passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Constitution Petition No.48/2010 filed and conducted by me, pro bono, on or about 30th July 2010, on behalf of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and Pakistan Institute for Labour and Education Research (PILER), that the Supreme Court had ordered that all cases of fishermen crossing the border should be heard expeditiously, preferably within a period of six weeks and that all the prisoners under the Foreigners Act should be released and repatriated forthwith, if they have completed their sentences. In pursuance of these Orders of the Supreme Court more than 442 Indian fishermen prisoners were released and repatriated in one go.

This started the process of further release of large number of Indian prisoners from Pakistan and Pakistani prisoners from India.

When our delegation comprising Mr Kuldip Nayar, Mr Mahesh Bhatt and Mr Jatin Desai from India and Mr Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, Mr Karamat Ali and the undersigned from Pakistan were received by Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the Head of Ruling Congress Party, on or about 9th September 2010, to reciprocate our efforts for release of Indian fishermen, Mrs Gandhi was kind enough to immediately order release of all Pakistani prisoners who have completed their sentences and if their nationalities have been identified. As a result hundreds of more prisoners of the two countries have been released since then.

The recent release of 179 Indian Fishermen from Malir Jail Karachi was consistently pursued with Pakistani authorities by our team of Mr Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, Mr Karamat Ali, Mr Mohammad Ali Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and the undersigned. It was due to the consistent efforts of this team that these prisoners were finally released on January 7th, 2012 from Malir Jail Karachi. Any proceedings in the Lahore High Court were not instrumental in release of these Indian Fishermen from Malir Jail Karachi.

I do sincerely appreciate and admire efforts of all members of the Bar or members of the civil society for putting hard work persistently for release of the prisoners as well as for much needed improvements in the relations between our two countries. Warm, cordial, peaceful and open border relations between Pakistan and India is the need of the people of this subcontinent.
The aforesaid is just to put the record straight.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

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