Miserable plight of Pakistanis in Indian jails

According to Pakistani officials there are over 518 Pakistanis lodged as prisoners in Indian jails, while India acknowledged the presence of only 147 prisoners in its jails, the fate of the rest is uncertain!!!
Having seen off Kashmir Singh at Wagah Border amid joy and laughter, Pakistanis assembled again in the same week at the same point to receive the body of an innocent Pakistani cricket-lover amid tears and grief. Mehmood had visited India to watch the Pak-India cricket series, and was reportedly picked up by Indian secret agencies. Indian media reported that Mehmood had died of severe torture at the hands of Indian jail officials.The arrival of his body in Pakistan puts a question mark over India’s human rights groups. Bhago Begum, the Pakistani citizen who was freed last year from an Indian jail, described as “dreadful” the conditions suffered by Pakistani prisoners. She termed the authorities of Indian jails “heartless”, as Pakistani prisoners remained a target of routine “physical abuse” and verbal humiliation at the hands of Indian officials.There are many other Pakistani nationals who still continue to suffer at the hands of the Indian authorities without trial. Contrary to Indian treatment with Pakistani prisoners, Kashmir Singh, carried memories of humane treatment in Pakistani jails, despite his being a spy - a fact he admitted as soon as he returned to India after his 35-year imprisonment.
While leaving for India, Singh looked physically fit and cheerful after his release, in sharp contrast to the miserable condition of Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails, who unlike Singh do not catch the attention of human rights activists such as MR. Burney. The comparison of his figure and complexion with that of Bhago Begum speaks volumes about the treatment meted out to Pakistani prisoners in India. According to reports, as many as 48 Pakistani prisoners are languishing in jails across Indian Punjab, all of whom have completed their prison terms. Many of the prisoners have not even been granted consular access, which is mandatory under international conventions that both Pakistan and India are signatory to.
The apparent lethargy on the part of the Indian bureaucracy in processing the cases of the 48 Pakistanis in Amritsar Jail is surprising. Ranjan Lakhanpal, a Chandigarh-based lawyer and civil liberties activist, fought for three years for the release of Fida Hussain and five other Pakistanis who had languished in Indian jails years beyond their sentences. By contrast, a jail reformation process is being pursued in Pakistan and the Ministry of Human Rights is taking various initiatives.
Recently, Pakistan and India has exchanged lists of prisoners held in each other's jails as part of measures to expedite their release. Let us hope that both governments will take solid steps to solve this issue. Moreover, Indian government must take suitable measure to improve condition of Indian jails and take notice of the extremely inhuman treatment with Pakistani prisoners including verbal and physical abuse.