As many as 26 prisoners lodged in various jails of Jammu and Kashmir were granted ‘consular access’ at the high security Central Jail here on Monday. They were brought in amid high security cover provided by the J&K police and their credentials and home addresses were recorded by Arif, Counsular at Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi.

Arif, who was in Amritsar today, spoke to the prisoners and procured their personal details to ascertain their identity as Pakistani nationals. “I have noted down their details and their credentials are to be verified,” he said. He added: “They all are innocent and our efforts are aimed at securing their early release. The completion of such formalities, however, takes time.”

A J&K police officer, however, differed with Arif’s views. “Five of the prisoners are lodged in a prison near Srinagar and the others are lodged in Jammu. While there is a possibility that some of them may be innocent, majority of them are criminals.”

Inspector Vishal Jamwal, the security officer accompanying them, added: “We are here as per the diplomatic arrangements between India and Pakistan for providing consular access to these prisoners.”