Foreign prisoners await repatriation

Often inmates’ country refuses to take them back forcing them to spend their life in a Pakistani jail

LAHORE:

Convicted of crimes of varying degrees in Pakistan, foreign prisoners continue to languish in the country’s jails despite completing their sentences.

As per data available with the Express Tribune a total of 103 foreigners are currently being held in 21 different jails across Punjab, out of which 52 face extradition, 17 are serving their sentences whereas 34 await repatriation having served their time.

Their crimes range from petty issues such as a visa overstay to serious offences like espionage and heinous crimes like spreading terrorism. The 103 are nationals of several countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Czech Republic, Dominica, India, Iran, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

However, the 34 who have completed their jail term and wish to go back are not being held against their will but their own country’s disinterest in taking them back. Officials from the Punjab Home Department while talking to the Express Tribune informed that once a foreign prisoner completes their term their respective embassy is informed and if they choose not to allow the detainee back to the country then the prisoner’s sentence is extended.

“Our role is that of a post office,” Inspector General Prisons Punjab, Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig, remarked, drawing a similarity between foreign prisoners and uncollected mail. Commenting further on their role, Baig told the Express Tribune that all records of foreign prisoners in the province are sent to the federal government through the provincial Department of Prisons and Home Affairs.

“The federal government and the foreign ministry work together regarding a prisoner's release but if the release fails or stalls then they remain in our custody for however long it may take,” he said.

A retired official of Punjab’s prison department, talking to the Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, shed light on the repatriation process: “If their country does not take them [prisoners] back or they have immigration issues, then the Federal Review Board of Service Judges present in the Supreme Court of Pakistan decides their fate.”

Reminiscing about his time in the department, the official informed that he had witnessed philanthropists and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the country help those who had completed their sentences but could not afford plane tickets or did not have valid passports.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Punjab, Zafar Nasrullah, commenting on the status of those who are desperate to return home, said that they were well aware that 34 foreign prisoners were awaiting release but the release procedure had to go through formal channels.

“We are in touch with the federation and as soon as the prisoners are cleared through the concerned country's embassy, their release will take place,” Nasrullah informed the Express Tribune.