PHOTO: FILE
To provide legal assistance to Pakistani citizens imprisoned overseas, the federal government has granted Rs.600 million to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources.
According to the documents available with The Express Tribune, of the 10,896 Pakistani prisoners, 6,211 are convicted in foreign countries, with the highest number in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Drug addicts, AIDS patients being treated in jails
As many as 2,409 Pakistanis are imprisoned in the UAE, of which 735 are accused of being involved in serious criminal activities. Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, 1,345 Pakistanis are serving jail terms for smuggling narcotics, 456 for theft and 623 on charges of financial fraud and other offences.
Prisons elsewhere in the Middle East region house a significant number of Pakistani inmates. Jails in Oman, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait have a total of 1,234 prisoners, who belong to Pakistan. Many of them are in prison for smuggling drugs and involvement in other criminal activities.
In South Asia, according to details, India holds the largest number of Pakistani prisoners. Of the 587 Pakistanis in Indian jails, at least 210 are fishermen and 277 are civilians. So far, India has convicted 323 Pakistanis, while cases against 211 are pending.
Fishermen from Pakistan are routinely scooped by Indian maritime authorities. Most of these fishermen languish in Indian jails for decades. According to the strict reciprocity that governs the perennially tense relationship between the two nuclear rivals, these prisoners only get to go home following the release of Indian inmates from jails in Pakistan. In some cases, even reciprocity from Pakistan yields no response from India.
Apart from India, a total of 362 detainees are in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Elsewhere in the world, a total of 347 prisoners are held in prisons in Russia, Canada, and South Africa.
Similarly, in European countries that witness high migration from Pakistan, a total of 707 Pakistani citizens are serving prison sentences.
In countries in Southeast Asia – Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia – 258 Pakistanis are serving prison terms for various crimes.
51,674 under trial prisoners detained in 98 jails, SC told
In China and the rest of the East Asian region, a total of 564 Pakistani prisoners require legal assistance.
According to the Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, 1,195 Pakistani nationals are in jails in various parts of the world for violating immigration laws. Whereas, 1,737 are confined for other offences, including murder, kidnapping, and theft.
Likewise, 190 Pakistanis are in prisons for human trafficking, 165 for robbery, 374 for financial fraud, and 467 for overstaying in foreign countries.
The ministry’s data reveals that 1,199 Pakistanis have received punishments, while cases against 1,913 are pending.
Not all prisoners have serious charges against them. A total of 2,233 Pakistani citizens are in jail for minor offences, according to the ministry.
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