Dubai: Pakistan Association in Dubai (PAD) has secured the release of at least 75 prisoners after paying for their air tickets and minor fines.
Members of the Welfare Committee of PAD held a meeting on Sunday with the officials concerned at the Dubai Central Jail in Al Awir and paid for air tickets and minor fines of Pakistani prisoners who would be released before Eid Al Fitr so they could fly back home to celerbate Eid with their families.
“The initiative is part of our annual Ramadan campaign ‘help prisoners’ and this time we managed to provide help to a very high number of prisoners who need just air tickets and minor fines payment to get out of the jail,” said Rizwan Fancy, member of the PAD welfare committee and director public relations.
He said that PAD does not help prisoners involved in criminal cases but only those serveing sentences for minor offences and who could be released after paying small fines and only needed tickets to travel back home.
Fancy thanked the Pakistani community for their generous support and commended the efforts of his colleagues and members of the PAD welfare committee including Shahidul Islam and retired Captain Mohammad Amjad in helping prisoners in need. He also thanked the jail authorities for their cooperation.
Fancy said that the association carries out a number of projects to help the poor and needy every Ramadan. “This Ramadan, we are providing 200 iftars every day at a mosque in the Pakistan Education Academy in addition to managing a Ramadan fridge at the association’s premises,” he added.
The PAD, he said, in coordination with the Community Development Authority (CDA) also contributes to iftar meals for 1,500 to 2,000 blue collar workers at workers’ accommodations in Dubai every Friday.
The association, he said, also provides ‘Ramadan food packages’ to needy families every year. “This year, we have already provided food packages worth Dh300 each to more than 750 families and we hope to meet our target to help at least 1,000 poor families by the end of Ramadan,” he said.
Fancy thanked community members and volunteers for making it possible for PAD to help people in need during Ramadan. “We can’t do anything without the generous support of the community,” he said.
