GETTING caught up in foreign legal systems is rarely a pleasant experience for citizens of this country. And if bilateral relations are testy — as they are between Pakistan and India — then the ordeal worsens. The case of Sumaira, abandoned by her husband and living in an Indian detention centre, can certainly be described as a lengthy nightmare, and were it not for the intervention of a senator, her case might not have made it to the news. As per reports, the Pakistani woman married an Indian national in Qatar and was later taken to India by her husband without a visa. She was arrested by the authorities there and has been awaiting confirmation of her Pakistani nationality since 2018 after completing her sentence. Senator Irfanul Haq Siddiqui highlighted her plight and says that her citizenship certificate has finally been issued after he raised the issue for the second time in the Upper House a few days ago. The Foreign Office says it is actively pursuing her case to ensure early repatriation.

It is indeed shocking that Sumaira had to wait for nearly four years to get her citizenship status confirmed, that too after the intervention of a lawmaker. One can only imagine the plight of those Pakistanis imprisoned abroad who have completed their sentences but are still rotting in jail because they lack a ‘source’ or adequate knowledge of foreign judicial systems. The government needs to ensure that Sumaira and her daughter are brought back to Pakistan as early as possible. Moreover, as has been highlighted frequently in these columns, Pakistan needs to do a better job of assisting citizens imprisoned abroad, or facing unfamiliar legal systems. There have been many cases where Pakistanis have been languishing in foreign jails after completing their sentences, simply because they lack knowledge of the foreign legal systems concerned. Pakistani missions abroad need to actively monitor such cases and help citizens navigate foreign systems so that they can defend themselves in court, and return to the country without delay.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2022