Over 900 Pakistanis have been repatriated

ISLAMABAD: Over 900 Pakistanis, who were languishing in jails in different countries, have been repatriated to their homeland since May this year, said the Foreign Office on Thursday.

Of the total 932 Pakistan nationals, 800 were brought back from the United Arab Emirates, 66 from Afghanistan, 46 from Greece and 20 from Yemen, disclosed Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit in his weekly news briefing. “Eight Pakistani prisoners in Thailand are being transferred to Pakistan under the Transfer of Offenders Agreement between the two countries. Another 20 will be repatriated from Sri Lanka soon,” he added.

He said as many as 7,000 Pakistani nationals have been languishing in jails in different countries and some of them for many years. Basit said the government was making efforts to ensure the reparation of its citizens particularly those who had committed minor crimes and completed their sentences.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2010.