Thailand to extradite 9 Pakistanis before Eid

RAWALPINDI: Thailand has agreed to extradite nine Pakistani nationals being held in their country before Eidul Fitr under the Transfer of Prisoners Treaty.

The prisoners are returning home after a wait of almost ten years on the Supreme Court’s directives. The date for the repatriation of the remaining 97 prisoners has still not been announced.

The names of six of the nine prisoners have been disclosed. They are: Khaleequz Zaman and Lala Arshad from Gujranwala, Risalat Khan and Shamsul Ibadi from Mardan, Saeed Karim Khan from Karachi and Zaheeruddin from Rawalpindi.

The Transfer of Prisoners Treaty was signed between Islamabad and Bangkok in December 2007.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Aisha, whose son Rashid Umar and brother Zaheeruddin are both in a Thai jail, says that the two were arrested in 2000 when they had gone to Thailand to purchase computer accessories.

Dr Aisha says that the family found out about their arrest after six months. When the family’s efforts to lobby the government for Zaheeruddin and Umar’s release proved fruitless, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court for the return of all Pakistani prisoners held abroad. While Zaheeruddin is being released, there is no information on when Umar might be able to return home. Umar was only 19 at the time of his arrest.

Dr Aisha blames the delay in the return of all prisoners on the Pakistani government’s inordinate paperwork. Also blaming corruption in the Thai government, Dr Aisha says that the family has paid Rs1.5 to Rs2 million for their release.

If her son is not brought home soon, Dr Aisha says she would approach the Supreme Court again.

Ulfat Kazmi, the executive director of the Global Foundation that has been advocating for the prisoners’ return, says that in 2001 the Thai government had made an offer to 19 countries to take back their prisoners. While 18 countries took their citizens home, Pakistan did not. Since then, six prisoners have died, three of whom allegedly committed suicide.

On May 20, 2010, the Supreme Court directed secretaries interior, foreign affairs and revenue to make arrangements for bringing back the prisoners and a committee for this purpose was formed. The court also directed the government to use funds from baitul mal, if need be, to bring the prisoners home. The Pakistani community in Thailand has also reportedly offered to help out with the expenses while, according to Kazmi, the families of the arrested men are also willing to bear the expenses.

Those still imprisoned include people from Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Attock, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh, Mianwali and Nowshehra. Two among them had been given the death penalty while others had been given sentences of 50 to hundred years.

Apart from approaching the Pakistani government, Kazmi says that their organisation had even contacted the Thai monarch for the release of the prisoners. However, neither Kazmi nor Dr Aisha know whether the returned prisoners will be sent home or to jail.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2010.