August 27, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 28, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: There are over 9,000 Pakistanis in the jails of 52 countries, with largest number in Saudi Arabia for committing fraud or for being involved in drug smuggling, the National Assembly was told here on Monday.

In response to a question of Qari Fayyaz-ur-Rehman, Foreign Affairs Minister Mian Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri informed the house that out of 5,158 prisoners in Saudi Arabia, 3,814 were arrested on fraud and 1,344 on drug smuggling charges.

Followed by Saudi Arabia, India has 810 Pakistani prisoners (all arrested for alleged fraud); Afghanistan, 788 (787 on the charges of fraud and one on drug smuggling charge); the United Kingdom, 406 (all on fraud charges); Kuwait, 287 (97 on fraud and 190 on drug smuggling charges); and the United States, 287 (on fraud charges).

Other countries who have Pakistanis in their jails are: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, China, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Belarus, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The minister said majority of those arrested were job seekers who left the country with the connivance of unscrupulous/bogus travel agents. They were arrested in the country of their destination either due to the forged travel documents or for having overstayed their visa, he added.

Mr Kasuri said there were very few Pakistanis in foreign jails on criminal charges like murder, theft, robbery and forgery. However, those who were sentenced were repatriated to Pakistan after completion of their sentences, he further said.

About the detention of Pakistanis in Afghan jails, the minister said Pakistan had great concern for them and was in touch with the Afghan government at the highest possible level to secure their early release and repatriation.