Saudi Crown Prince orders release of 2107 Pakistani prisoners on PM Imran’s request

ISLAMABAD: A day after Prime Minister Khan’s request to Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to consider cases of Pakistanis in Saudi jails, the crown prince has ordered release of 2107 prisoners.

Speaking at the banquet hosted in honour of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Prime Minister Imran Khan referred to the problems of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and requested that their immigration should be done in the three big cities of Pakistan.

He also mentioned the problems faced by Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia, whom he considered very close to his heart and 'special people'.

The prime minister on Monday praised the crown prince on his assurance in this regard.

"Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman won the hearts of the people of Pakistan when he said “consider me Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia" in response to my asking him to treat the 2.5 mn Pakistani's working in KSA as his own," the PM stated.

He had requested the Crown Prince to treat them as their own people.

Imran Khan also requested the Crown Prince to take measures for the early release of 3,000 Pakistani prisoners jailed in Saudi Arabia.

In response, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, assured the Prime Minister that Saudi Arabia would do whatever it could to address those issues.

'Consider me Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia,' he assured the prime minister.

In this regard, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday, said 2107 prisoners will be freed  from KSA with immediate effect while cases of the remaining will be reviewed.