India, Pak exchange list of prisoners: Defence experts say they have no hopes from

As India and Pakistan exchanged a list of prisoners lodged in each other's jails with request to grant consular access to Indians in their custody, including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav, defence experts on Sunday said they have no hope that Islamabad would do the needful.

Talking to ANI, defence expert Brigadier (Retd) Amrit Kapur said these are a regular routine done from time to time.

"We have given them a list of 59 prisoners which have been taken by them since 1971 and a lot of them must have died in their custody. But they will not release them. They may not be in a position to release them. And about Kulbhushan Jadhav, we have made more than 20 requests, which they have not obliged and I don't visualise that they are obliging now because then they will be exposed before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," he added.

Another defence expert Ranjeet Rai said Pakistan has denied consular access to India in many such cases, which is a right given to any country under the Geneva Convention article 36 (c)1.

"Pakistan has denied consular excess for Jadhav. India has been told by the ICJ that India has every right to the consular access. And there are so many Indians there in their prisoner whose acual lists they never give. Let's see what Pakistan says," he said.

In a step aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday exchanged the lists of nationals of their respective countries who are currently lodged in the jails of the other country.

The Indian Government also requested Pakistan to grant consular access to Indians lodged in their custody, including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The ministry said, "We have again requested Pakistan to grant consular access to Indians lodged in their custody including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav."

Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April on charges of espionage and sabotage activities. India had moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Jadhav's death penalty. The ICJ on May 18 had restrained Pakistan from executing the Indian national.