Pakistani prisoners: Oman may allow repatriation

Treaty would allow inmates to serve their remaining terms in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Oman has agreed to repatriate convicts to complete their remaining terms in Pakistani jails and a draft agreement in this regard will be presented before the federal cabinet on Wednesday for approval.

A list of 39 Pakistani prisoners, serving jail terms in Oman jails and who might be shifted to local jails, has already been handed over to the Foreign Office. They would be eligible for repatriation if the draft agreement is cleared by both governments.

The draft of the agreement, forming the basis for detainee transfer between the two countries, has been forwarded to the cabinet.

Negotiations to allow Pakistani prisoners to complete their terms in Pakistani jails were held in way back in 2007 when the then foreign secretary, Riaz Mohammad Khan, discussed the issue with his Omani counterpart Syed Badar bin Hamood.

Both sides had discussed the possibility of concluding an agreement, but no progress was made. The country’s mission in Oman has been told to convey Pakistan’s interest in restarting talks on the agreement after a four-year gap.

On February 1, last year, the Oman government announced a general amnesty for those who had overstayed their visas to return to their respective countries without any penalty. So far, 1,571 Pakistani nationals have returned under this scheme. Pakistan is expecting 2,000 more such illegal people to avail this amnesty.

The possibility of concluding the agreement was again discussed during bilateral political consultations recently held in Muscat. In response to Pakistan’s proposal on detainee transfer, the Omani government forwarded a draft extradition treaty for consideration.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2011.