ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that there were three Pakistanis presently in Irish prison, but they had asked the authorities in Ireland not to disclose their identities to the Pakistan government.

Replying to a question of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, the minister said that one of these Pakistanis was in prison on three counts of rape, on two counts of fraud and the third one was awaiting deportation.

The minister surprised the members when he disclosed that the Irish prison authorities had refused to provide any further details to the Pakistan government on the request of the jailed persons.

When asked by ruling party MNA Riaz Hussain Pirzada and MMA MNA Asadullah Bhutto about the origin of the arrested people and the efforts being taken by the Foreign Office for their release, the minister said the government was ready to provide legal assistance to them, but the arrested persons were not ready to even talk to the Pakistan government.

The minister said that generally as soon as the information regarding the arrest of a Pakistani national was received in any country, the country’s missions contacted the quarters concerned to solicit additional information about the detainee.

He said the mission also expressed its readiness to offer all possible consular assistance to the detainee. He said whenever Pakistani detainees asked for a consular prison visit, through the country’s prison service, the embassy officials visited them and assisted them in the redressal of their grievances.

Mr Bakhtiar said the missions were aware of its responsibilities and were proactive in providing assistance and support to the Pakistan nationals within the limits of local and Pakistani laws.