10,000 Pakistani prisoners languishing in ‘foreign jails’

579 Pakistanis released since Saudi crown prince announced amnesty: says FO

ISLAMABAD: As many as 579 Pakistani prisoners have been released from jails of Saudi Arabia since Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s visit to Islamabad last year, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

During his visit to the country in February, the crown prince had announced to release 2,000 Pakistani prisoners as a goodwill gesture on the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqi, during weekly media briefing in Islamabad, said the Pakistani embassy was in touch with the Saudi authorities over the release of the prisoners from Saudi jails.

She said additional 1,500 prisoners had also been released by Saudi authorities under clemency or completion of their sentences, other than those being released under amnesty announced by the crown prince.



Farooqi said overall 10,000 Pakistani were imprisoned in 28 countries across the world, half of the which were convicted of criminal charges including smuggling.

She said the country's embassies and consulates in the last few years arranged over 13,000 consular access meetings in different countries and jurisdictions in an effort to assist Pakistani prisoners.

"The government is fully cognizant of its responsibilities and is engaged with other governments for the release of Pakistani prisoners," she said.

The spokesperson said the visit of PM Imran to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum was on the cards, details of which would be shared in due time.

On restoration of stalled peace process between the United States and Taliban, she said Pakistan welcomed resumption of talks and hoped for their conclusion at the earliest.