Pakistanis repatriated from Afghan jails being interrogated, govt informs court

Interior Ministry's counsel claims that the men will be presented before the court after interrogation is complete.

LAHORE: Interior ministry informed the Lahore High Court on Tuesday that the six Pakistani citizens repatriated from Afghan jails were being interrogated by an investigation team.

The six Pakistanis had been held without charge in the Bagram Theatre Internment Camp in Afghanistan and had been returned to Pakistan earlier this month.

While hearing a petition on the six Pakistanis held in Afghan jails without any charge, the ministry's counsel told the court that the repatriated men were being kept in a good condition in FATA and their medical examination had also been conducted.

The counsel further claimed that the repatriated prisoners would be produced before the court after the completion of the interrogation process.

During a previous hearing, the petitioner's counsel had stated that the detainees were treated harshly, humiliated and kept in extremely unhygienic conditions by Pakistani authorities.

The Justice Project Pakistan, a non profit law firm, had filed the petition for the release and return of as many as 25 Pakistani citizens detained by the US at the Bagram jail. It said Pakistani citizens had been detained at Bagram jail without any charge or trial from as far back as 2003. They claimed that the men had been abducted from Pakistan and held at the infamous prison.

The court adjourned the hearing till January 24, 2014 and directed the petitioner's counsel to file a rejoinder.