ISLAMABAD, May 18 (IslamOnline.net) - As a gesture of goodwill towards arch rival India, Pakistan Sunday, May 18, released 20 Indian nationals from its jails and handed them over to the Indian authorities, Pakistani state-run Television announced this afternoon.

Showing pictures of the groups of Indians crossing over to their country from a border check post near Lahore, Pakistan Television said they were released on the instructions of Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Jamali had announced release of these 20 men out of hundred languishing in Pakistani jails, as a gesture of goodwill towards India who has taken several peace overtures in the last one month.

A senior Para-military officer saw the Indians off at the border post with gifts.

It is a good gesture from the Pakistani side," Rangers local commander Brigadier Mohammad Harris told PTV as he presented gift packs to the released Indians.

As the released prisoners were shown slowly walking towards their relatives on the other side of borders, Pakistani officials hoped several hundred Pakistanis illegally detained in India, some of them for the last many years may also return home as a response to this gesture.

Several hundred Pakistani and Indians relinquish in each countries jail for long period of time without legal status. Most of them are either fishermen or small scale traders who lost their way into deep waters and crossed over the borders.

Out of twenty released Sunday, fourteen were fishermen and six young Sikh pilgrims who tried to enter Pakistan illegally.

“All of us are very happy. We want the two countries to have friendly relations so that innocent citizens from the two sides stop suffering," said Mohammad Sattar, a Muslim resident of Indian state of Gujarat while talking to PTV at Wagah check post, minutes before his returning home.

Pakistan and India exchanged several peace overtures since April 18 when the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced that he wanted to have friendship with Pakistan. Since then both the courtiers have announced resumption of trade and communication links.