Islamabad: As many as 43 Pakistani prisoners have been transferred from Sri Lanka to their home country where they will complete their remaining sentence. They arrived in Islamabad early today via a special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight.
Pakistan High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Maj Gen (r) Muhammad Saad Khattak, confirmed the news. “A great responsibility fulfilled with the efforts of all concerned [officials] back home and at the High Commission (HC) in Colombo” he said on Twitter account as he thanked the Sri Lankan President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other officials on behalf Pakistani leadership for making the repatriation possible.
Ambassador Saad Khattak was present at the airport and advised the convicts to “refrain from any crimes in future and lead a better life with their loved ones.”
This is the first repatriation in seven years under the bilateral prisoner transfer agreement signed by the two countries in 2004. The Ministry of Interior played a key role in implementation of prisoners’ swap agreement. The repatriation is a result of diplomatic engagement and Pakistan looks forward to similar agreements with other friendly countries.
Protect rights
Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari welcomed the repatriation of 43 Pakistani prisoners that allows them to serve their remaining jail term closer to their families. Their return “is in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policy to look after every Pakistani in foreign country especially those in distress” Mr Bukhari told Gulf News.
Zulfikar Bukhari wrote an official letter to the Sri Lankan government requesting to expedite the repatriation process following a request from a lawyer at Lahore-based Justice Project Pakistan. He also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistani Mission in Sri Lanka and others for their support to bring back Pakistanis from foreign prisons.
Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), an organization that offers legal assistance to Pakistani prisoners at home and abroad, welcomed the repatriation of Pakistanis from Sri Lanka. In a statement, the organization commended the Pakistan government’s dedication to safeguard the rights of overseas Pakistanis in foreign jails. At least 87 Pakistanis were imprisoned in Sri Lanka for various crimes, and 43 still remain detained.
Pakistani jailed abroad
“To be imprisoned in a foreign land surrounded by people who do not speak your language or share your culture is a harrowing experience,” says the JPP spokesperson Haider Habib.
There are approximately more than 11,000 Pakistanis imprisoned abroad in 28 countries. Last year, PM Imran Khan raised the plight of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia after which Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman ordered the release of 2,107 inmates. However, it is unclear how many have exactly returned home.
In May this year, at least 250 Pakistani prisoners returned from Malaysia. Last year, United Arab Emirates (UAE) government released 572 Pakistani inmates as part of an amnesty by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
