India releases 39 Pakistani prisoners

Pakistani paramilitary ranger officials escort released Pakistani prisoners after the handover by Indian authorities at The Wagah Border Post yesterday.Photo: AFP

A group of 39 Pakistani prisoners held in India returned home yesterday, the second high-profile prisoner release in days that underscores an easing of tensions between the two rivals.
"We have received 39 Pakistani prisoners from India," a spokesman for Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers, Mehboob Hussain, told AFP.
"We are checking their documents and will send them to their respective places," he added, describing the releases as a "goodwill gesture".
Indian authorities earlier escorted the Pakistanis, who include two women, to a border transit post in the northern city of Amritsar from where they left for home.