The Foreign Office on Friday said Pakistan will release 360 Indian prisoners this month.
“Pakistan has decided that 360 Indian prisoners – having the breakup of 355 fishermen and five civilians, who have completed their term of sentence, will be released,” FO spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal told reporters.
He added the prisoners would be released in four batches starting from April 8.
Due to the rocky relations between the two sides, prisoners who have completed their jail terms often languish in each other’s jails for months, if not years, afterwards.
According to the lists exchanged by both sides in January, there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails, 249 of whom are what the spokesman described as civilians and 98 fishermen.
There are 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, 483 of whom are fishermen.
“We hope that India will reciprocate this,” Dr Faisal added.
Tensions soared between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama, occupied Kashmir.
India piled the blame for Pulwama bombing on Pakistan without presenting any proof. The allegations were strongly refuted by Pakistan.
In response, India said it carried out on February 26 air strikes on what it called a militant training camp at Balakot inside Pakistan.
The Indian government was quick to take credit for a “successful" airstrike and put the death toll to over 300. Pakistani officials, as well as the locals, rejected the claims, inviting local and international media to visit the site of the so-called attack where around a dozen trees were the only “casualty”.
The Pakistan Air Force, in retaliatory action, downed two Indian aircraft the next day, capturing Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan who was then released as a peace gesture by Pakistan.
