By APP
Islamabad : Caretaker Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney on Wednesday expressed the hope that he would succeed in securing the early release of Pakistani prisoners, languishing in Indian jails for more than 30 years.
In an interview with APP, he said that he has already written an official letter to the Indian government seeking details over the matter before proceeding to India.
“The Pakistani prisoners yearning in Indian jails for freedom for more than three decades deserve immediate release on humanitarian grounds and with this purpose in mind, I intend to visit India” he said.
To a question about Indian government’s permission to grant him visa as highlighted by media reports he replied “I am really surprised over such stories, I already possess visa of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.”
He said it does not matter whether he visits India as Caretaker Minister for Human Rights or as office bearer of Burney Trust, his prime target would be to ensure early release of Pakistani prisoners.
He expressed his dismay over comments by certain quarters regarding release of Kashmir Singh. About Kashmir Singh’s release, he said that it was done purely on humanitarian grounds which even made the Indian government to start talking about resumption of peace process.
He stressed that the noble deed should not be ill-conceived and the positive gesture shown by the Government of Pakistan should be reciprocated by Indian government in the same spirit.