ISLAMABAD: Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo has given a hope regarding the repatriation of Pakistani national Zulfiqar Ali in an Indonesian jail who is suffering from last stage cancer.

The Indonesian president during his meeting with President Mamnoon Hussain at the Presidency on Friday agreed to sympathetically consider the request for his repatriation.

Zulfiqar, who has been behind bars for more than a decade, is on death row on charges of drug smuggling.

Just a day ago, members of parliament had raised their voice over this matter. They had asked the government of Pakistan to take up the issue of Zulfiqar with the Indonesian president during the latter’s visit to Islamabad.

According to an official press release issued by the presidency, President Hussain during his meeting with Indonesian counterpart raised Zulfiqar’s issue and asked for his release and return. In his response, President Widodo said that although it was a legal matter, he would sympathetically consider the request.

The family of Zulfiqar has been in pain for long and it has requested the federal government and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to make efforts for his release and return.

Media reports said the 53-year-old Pakistani national in Batu prison of Indonesia had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer. He was reportedly taken to a hospital some 21 days ago. However, all his medical treatment expenses had to be borne by his family.

Zulfiqar Ali was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to death on charges of drug smuggling, following a forced confession and an unfair trial. In 2010, the former president of Indonesia on account of the violations commissioned an inquiry that found him innocent. However, warrants for his execution by firing squad were issued in July 2016. While the execution of Zulfiqar was stayed on the intervention government, he was still languishing in Batu prison.

Also suffering from chronic liver and diabetes, Zulfiqar has only three months to live, according to doctors.

On Thursday, the National Assembly of Pakistan was informed that the inquiry conducted by the Indonesian authorities had declared him innocent.

Raising the issue, MNA Shazia Marri said the inquiry of the Indonesian government had confirmed that he was innocent but brutally tortured on drug smuggling charges to take a forced confession. She said according to the doctors he has only three months to live.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2018