Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed informed on Monday from Jeddah that a total of 1,100 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia were being repatriated to Pakistan.
He further said that the prisoners were being released as part of the agreements signed during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the kingdom.
While talking to Urdu News Jeddah, he added that the prisoners in question have completed most of their sentence. “We are ready to repatriate Pakistani prisoners jailed in Saudi Arabia who are not convicted of crimes of serious nature,” Rasheed maintained. He added, “We can get hundreds more freed if we can get an aid of one billion rupees [to pay off their fine].”
“There are as many as 30 Pakistani prisoners sentenced to death for murder and drug trafficking; they cannot be repatriated,”, adding that the cases of those involved in heinous crimes will be dealt separately.
Responding to schedule of repatriation, Rasheed said, “Consider the whole process completed. It will be implemented as soon as possible.” “The families of those being transferred to Pakistani jails will be able to look after them, while there is no one to look after them here [in KSA]”.
“We are already coordinating [with Saudi Arabia] on eliminating crimes and we will continue to do so,” the minister concluded.
It is pertinent to mention that recent visit of the premier to KSA witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral agreements/Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), including Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Combating Crimes; Agreement on Transfer of Convicted Individuals (Prisoners); MoU on Combating Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs; Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals; and Framework MoU for the financing of projects (totalling up to $500 million) in energy, hydropower generation, infrastructure, transport and communication and water resource development.
