|
|
|
| October 18, 2006 | Wednesday | Ramazan 24, 1427 |
‘Repatriated prisoners to be released shortly’
ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: The ‘debriefing’ session of eight Pakistani prisoners, who returned to the country on Monday from Gauntanamo Bay and Bagram prison camps, will be short, and no case is to be tried against them, Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah told Dawn on Tuesday.
The official said the debriefing session would provide a lot of information to the country’s intelligence and security agencies and might help eradicate extremism and terrorism.
“The prisoners released from Gauntanamo Bay two years ago had to face a long debriefing session, but the fresh batch will be freed soon,” he said.
The eight prisoners — two of them released from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and six from Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan — were shifted to Adiala Jail shortly after arriving at Chaklala Airbase aboard a special US military plan on Monday.
The released prisoners wearing Shalwar Kameez were handed over to the local police led by a DSP of Rawalpindi police, who had brought along their detention orders.
The FIA immigration, local police and some federal government officials were also present at Chaklala Airbase on the occasion.
The released prisoners were identified as Daghan Khan, a resident of Miran Shah; Mirat Khan from Khail Bazaar, Miran Shah; Ziaul Hassan Shah, a resident of Itihad Town, Karachi; Allah Jan, a resident of Bar Banday; Haleem Saddiqui, a resident of Clifton, Karachi; Taza Gul, a resident of Gujar Khail, Bajore Agency; Shahbaz Pervez, a resident of Khanpur Muhallah, Sialkot; and Muhibullah from Miran Shah.
The US authorities have reportedly asked Pakistan to keep a vigil on all the prisoners repatriated from the two detention centres on Monday.
After the arrival of this batch, the number of remaining Pakistani inmates in Gauntanamo Bay and Bagram prison camps is stated to be four and 14, respectively.
Those released had been arrested for their alleged links with Al-Qaeda. The Pakistan government claims that all these people were arrested from Afghanistan.
About 67 Pakistanis have already returned to the country from Gauntanamo Bay last year.
Some of the inmates who arrived last year from Gauntanamo Bay are still stated to be under detention for investigation.
As many as 490 detainees from different countries are still languishing in Guantanamo Bay prison, set up in January 2002, after the 9/11 attacks.
|
|
|
|
