Citizens repatriated from Sri Lanka still in custody

Over 50 Pakistani nationals, repatriated from Sri Lanka, have been held in various prisons for the past two years, including an elderly and seriously ill woman, Suraiya Begum, hailing from Dina.

Suraiya Begum is suffering from a debilitating stroke and is currently incarcerated at Rawalpindi's Central Jail Adiala, where her condition has been described as critical.

According to sources, Suraiya Begum experiences severe physical pain, limited mobility, and ongoing medical complications due to her illness.

Her family has urged that she requires immediate and specialised medical care, stressing that her release on humanitarian grounds has become imperative.

The relatives of the elderly inmate at Adiala Jail have appealed to the Federal Ministry of Interior to take urgent measures for the release of all Pakistani prisoners repatriated from Sri Lanka, with particular attention to the elderly and medically vulnerable.

Meanwhile, human rights organisations, civil society representatives, and social circles have called on the Government of Pakistan to ensure the immediate release of these prisoners in accordance with human rights and legal standards, so that elderly and sick inmates are spared further suffering.