Access to prisoners: Ombudsman asks FO to devise procedure

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ombudsman sought an update on Friday from the Foreign Office and diplomats posted abroad about the procedure for providing legal and consular access to Pakistanis languishing in foreign jails.

According to a press release issued by the Ombudsman’s Secretariat, Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmed Khokhar, the Senior Advisor (Law) and Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis to the Ombudsman had earlier instructed the Foreign Office to design an SOP for legal and consular access to Pakistani prisoners all over the world.

According to a report earlier submitted by the Foreign Office, at least 8,835 Pakistanis were languishing in foreign jails.

Terming it legal and moral responsibility, Khokhar stated that it was necessary to devise a mechanism for legal and consular assistance to Pakistani prisoners on case-to-case basis. He sought a written compliance report on this matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2016.