If the swapping takes place, Pakistan will possibly be the first country to hand over its citizens to Saudi Arabia in a case of drug-trafficking which is punishable with death in the kingdom.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday that every possible step would be taken to save the lives of ‘innocent’ Pakistanis.

Mohammad Arif Chohan and his wife Shumaila Arif were recently arrested, along with other members of the group — Zehra Moosani, Mohammad Anees and Rabia Anees —by the Saudi authorities for allegedly smuggling heroin into the kingdom.

They had gone to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and the contraband was found concealed in their slippers.

After media reports revealed that these people were innocent and were used by some local smugglers, police arrested travel agent Sarwat Hussain and his wife Shafia in Karachi.

The alleged mastermind is still at large. Police claimed that the travel agent had given the slippers to the people detained in Saudi Arabia.

Legal circles here believe that even if the accused are declared guilty and there is an extradition treaty between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the accused would have to first complete their sentence in Pakistani in accordance with the law and after that they can be handed over to the Saudi authorities.

Interior minister said the government had requested the Saudi government to halt criminal proceedings against the couple, adding that the Saudi authorities had asked Pakistan to hand over the ‘real culprits’.

‘I will do everything possible to save the lives of the couple and we are negotiating with Saudi Arabia to resolve the issue,’ he said.

He said the exchange might take some time, but the trial of Mohammad Arif Chohan, his wife Shumaila Arif and other members of the group would be halted.

‘If their trial is started they may be executed in a week’s time, because such cases are decided in one week in Saudi Arabia,’ he told the standing committee headed by Senator Talha Mehmood.

Asked how could one country arrange for the execution of its own citizens in another country, the interior minister said that drug-trafficking was punishable with death in Pakistan as well.

Mr Malik said there was an extradition treaty between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and the two countries had exchanged criminals in the past.

‘If the crime has taken place in Pakistan what is the point of sending the accused to Saudi Arabia?’ asked Senator Haji Adeel of the Awami National Party.

He said until the crime was proven it would be against the law to extradite any Pakistani to a foreign country.

The senator said that no civilised country would allow the killing of its citizens in a foreign country, even if it was done in accordance with the law.

Criticising the judicial system of Saudi Arabia, Mr Adeel asked the minister what steps was the government taking to save the lives of many other Pakistanis who were facing similar charges in Saudi Arabia and claimed to be innocent.

The interior minister advised Mr Adeel to avoid criticising the judicial system of Saudi Arabia and said that he was focussing on cases of the Pakistanis who had been duped by drug-traffickers.

Senator Bukhari asked if the ‘real accused’ -- Sarwat Hussain and Shafia -- had confessed to their involvement in drug trafficking before the law. The committee was informed that the accused made their confessional statement before police and not before any court.

The senators were of the view that statements recorded by police were not enough to prove a crime.

They called for action against customs officials who had failed to check the Pakistanis who carried a large quantity of heroin to Saudi Arabia by ‘mistake’.
Senator Talha constituted a sub-committee to visit Saudi Arabia and meet the arrested couple.

The committee called for cancellation of licence of Al-Huda Travel which had arranged the travel of the Pakistanis detained in Saudi Arabia.