Union Minister Babul Supriyo may be busy trying to put a ban on Pakistani artists, but the two countries may be a step closer to considering lifting their ban on talking to one another. In a possible softening of positions, India and Pakistan have agreed to “work towards the release and repatriation of prisoners over 70 years of age and women prisoners,'' a statement from the MEA spokesperson's office read.
The move had been suggested by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in October 2017 as a way to break the ice, as it were, to move forward on “humanitarian issues related to the elderly, women, children and mentally unsound patients.”
A team of medical experts will be allowed to visit to assess the condition of mentally unsound prisoners.
This is not the first signal that things between the two countries may be on the mend. India is believed to have extended an invitation to the Pakistani commerce minister for informal WTO ministerial negotiations.
Pervaiz Malik is believed to have accepted the invitation and is due to come to India later this month. The two countries have also agreed to resume the visits of the Joint Judicial Committee, which looks at the issue of fishermen and prisoners in each other's custody. The last meeting of this committee took place in 2013.
However, seasoned diplomats believe that there may be humanitarian exchanges between the two countries but there will be no resumption of the composite dialogue process unless the issue of the big T—terrorism—was sorted out.
“It is inconceivable,'' said former diplomat G. Parthasarthy. It was important for there to be communication at the level of the DGMOs and the NSA. But talks were certainly not on the table for now. “Prisoner exchanges are routine,'' he said.