Is India sending doctors to examine inmates in Pakistan?

In an attempt to ease tensions, India and Pakistan are currently discussing on humanitarian grounds to allow a team of our 20 doctors to visit Pakistan to examine the mentally unsound, elderly, disabled women and children.

Indian and Pakistan had an understanding earlier this month for the imminent release of prisoners. These Indian prisoners have been awaiting for the repatriation.

Both the countries have been possessing up to date knowledge over the issue of visas for the doctors but diplomatic sources here said Islamabad may not give Visa to such a mass number of doctors and medical experts.

Though, India had clearly laid out four conditions as imperative for imparting even a hint of normalcy to ties after the hostility over allegation by both India and Pakistan that their diplomats were being tormented in Islamabad and New Delhi respectively.

It included an harassment of Indian envoys, unhindered movement of Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria even outside Islamabad, construction of the Indian residential complex in Islamabad in a very peaceful manner and reversal of the decision to not allow Indian envoys membership of Islamabad club.

It also blocked Indian government websites where India had accused Pakistan for doing such act. And has strongly taken up the matter with Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

As it is very important for the Indian government to get the mentally unsound disabled prisoners examined by the doctors to facilitate their repatriation to India on humanitarian grounds.

The agreement arrived over the humanitarian issue of prisoners was a product of a meeting between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan high commissioner Sohail Mahmood in October 2017.

External minister Sushma Swaraj had proposed in the meeting that the two sides look to resolve humanitarian issues related to elderly women, children, and mentally unsound prisoners. India noted in a statement on March 7, days before the envoys harassment issue made it to the front page of the leading journals in the both countries, that Pakistan had responded positively to Swaraj s suggestion.

A few days later it became clear that India and Pakistan were actually locked in a bitter exchange over alleged intimidation of envoys.

While India put the blame for the crisis raid by ISI officials on the Indian residential complex on February 15,which saw a supply of water and electricity to complex was disconnected, Pakistan alleged that its envoys and other staff faced harassment on 18 occasions between March 7 and march 9.

Both the countries have been issuing a slew of note verbales in the past couple of weeks claiming harassment of their envoys. While Pakistan wants India to sign a protocol to facilitate smooth construction work both in Islamabad and in Delhi. Diplomatic sources said.

No way Islamabad is going to compromise on the issue of card membership. Pakistan diplomats here want the same facilities and at the same price too, in Delhi golf club and Gymkhana as those provided by Islamabad club to Indian diplomats.

Apart from not approving Bisaria’s membership, Pakistan is also threatening to renew the membership of other Indian diplomats.