29,065 Pakistanis in foreign jails, Senate panel told

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that there are 29,065 prisoners abroad with over 18,500 in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs Irfanul Haq Siddiqui expressed disappointment over the non-participation of the heads of relevant institutions to brief about the performance of the Foreign Service Academy, Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) and Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS) and directed that the briefing agendas for these institutions be postponed until the next meeting to ensure their participation. The committee reviewed the number of Pakistanis imprisoned in foreign jails including the names of prisoners, the crimes committed, the periods of imprisonment and the steps taken by the government for their release. Siddiqui demanded details on how many correspondences had been made with foreign governments for the prisoners release, particularly with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The committee members said the parliament was the supreme institution and that the heads of institutions must ensure their participation in the committee briefings.

Sherry Rehman said the committee was important. If the minister concerned was not available, the ministry secretary should have come. Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said institutions should not adopt such an attitude, asserting that the parliament was the supreme institution.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the committee that most prisoners were those who had settled illegally in foreign countries and that their names, crimes and other details could not be disclosed until complete documentation was received. The committee was informed that there were 29,065 prisoners with over 18,500 in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Kakar and Sherry noted that many Pakistanis imprisoned abroad were held for minor crimes. Sherry said it was the responsibility of Pakistani Embassies and Consulates to solve the problems of Pakistanis living abroad. Senators Atta-ur-Rehman, Rubina Qaim Khani and Abdul Qadir also attended the meeting.