ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Tuesday released and sent home 25 Bangladeshi prisoners under an initiative by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), state-owned media reported.
The prisoners were in jails convicted of minor crimes or were unable to pay imposed fines. Their repatriation is part of the Restoring Family Links (RFL) program of the PRCS.
“Each released prisoner was given $200 as financial assistance, besides an air ticket,” Sindh Governor Imran Ismail told reporters, as quoted by Radio Pakistan.
He also reportedly said that Pakistan’s relations with Bangladesh were getting “stronger.”
Earlier this month, the improvement in bilateral ties was highlighted by Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, who met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence on Dec. 3.
While relations between the two countries have never recovered from the 1971 war when Bengali nationalists, backed by India, broke away from what was then West Pakistan to form a new country, a number of recent diplomatic developments have hinted at a thaw in the long-troubled Pakistan-Bangladesh equation.
In a rare call in July, Prime Minister Imran Khan invited his Bangladeshi counterpart to visit Islamabad. The call came just weeks after a meeting between Siddiqui and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen.
Officials and experts say that Pakistan and Bangladesh are making a push to build diplomatic, economic and cultural ties.
“We look forward to having a sustained dialogue with the government of Bangladesh on how best our bilateral relations can move forward on a positive trajectory,” Aisha Farooqui, former spokeswoman of Pakistan’s foreign office, told Arab News earlier this year.
