NEW DELHI - India is set to release 11 Pakistani prisoners in a goodwill gesture Monday, Times of India reported.

The move comes days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exchanged greetings with his Indian counterpart in Astana.

According to TOI, Pakistan had sought the release of the said prisoners since they had completed sentences handed to them by courts in India.

The release is significant as it also comes days after Modi's "exchange of greetings" with Sharif in Astana on the margins of the SCO summit. According to official sources, since it was the first occasion when the 2 leaders came across each other after Sharif's operation, PM enquired about his health. He also enquired about Sharif's mother and family.

Earlier this month, India had released two Pakistani boys who had mistakenly crossed the border in Narowal sector. Incidents of cross-border firing have become a norm since the last months of 2016 as tensions simmer between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue.

Following the Uri army base attack in September, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up a drive to 'isolate' Pakistan diplomatically.

In the days following the attack, India claimed to have conducted a cross-border 'surgical strike' against 'launch pads of terror' in Azad Jammu and Kashmir — a claim Pakistan strongly rejected. Pakistan maintains that India has been attempting to divert the world's attention away from atrocities committed by government forces in India-held Kashmir.

Tensions between the two countries soared recently as India approached the International Court of Justice to secure consular access for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Pakistan over his involvement in espionage and terrorism.

In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench at The Hague restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav, who India claims is a retired naval officer.

Indian officials said the release of prisoners was a humanitarian issue and should not be linked with further downturn in ties over Jadhav. The government hopes that Islamabad too will facilitate the release of Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistani jails

According to the government, there are 132 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, out of which 57 have already served their jail term. Pakistan says that India has to confirm their nationality before it releases them.