Over 250 Pakistanis in jail in Indian Kashmir without trial

More than 250 Pakistanis are in jail without ever having faced trial in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least one has been behind bars since 1965 and there may be others in other states.

Reuters/Mukesh Gupta

India’s Supreme Court expressed shock at the detentions, which are all in the disputed north-eastern state, on Friday and ordered the central government to produce a report to explain them.

"It's shocking that over 254 Pakistani nationals are languishing in jails without a trial," said Supreme Court judge RN Lodha, commenting on a public interest case filed by a member of the public.
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Many of the detainees are thought to have been arrested after unwittingly crossing Kashmir's disputed border, the court heard.

Four are women.

And it is thought that other Pakistanis are bing held without trial in other states.

The prime ministers of India and Pakistan said Thursday they expected to open a "new chapter" in their fractious relationship after talks at a regional summit in the Maldives.

The countries have fought three wars since independence in 1947 when Kashmir’s sultan chose to join India, making Kashmir India’s only Muslim-majority state.