ISLAMABAD: Over 12,000 Pakistanis are languishing in jails in 67 countries, with over 50 per cent of them in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This information was provided to the National Assembly Secretariat by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a question asked by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Sikandar Ali Rahoupoto.

The ministry has compiled data on the basis of information provided to it by the Pakistani missions abroad. The ministry has not provided details of the nature of crimes for which these Pakistanis are in jails as the questioner had not asked about it.

According to the document, available with Dawn, a total of 12,080 Pakistanis are presently in jails, out of which 3,100 each are in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The data shows that out of 3,100 Pakistanis in the UAE, 1,612 are in Abu Dhabi and 1,488 in Dubai.

Foreign ministry says highest number of prisoners in Saudi Arabia, UAE

Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, 1,596 Pakistanis are in jails in Riyadh whereas another 1,504 are presently detained in Jeddah.

Besides these two Arab countries, there are 811 Pakistani prisoners in Greece, the country which remained in news after a boat tragedy in which more than 200 Pakistanis had died.

The data shows that there are 683 Pakistanis in various jails in India, 672 in Iraq, 586 in Italy, 540 in Oman and 275 in the United Kingdom.

According to a report released in April 2019 by the Justice Project Pakistan, a non-governmental organisation working for Pakistani prisoners at home and abroad, around 11,000 Pakistanis, including 3,309 in Saudi Arabia, had been suffering in various jails abroad.

“Weak regulation of labour migration in Pakistan leaves thousands of mostly low-wage Pakistani male workers vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labour, ill-treatment in detention overseas and even the risk of death,” the report has said.

Similarly, in response to a similar question in the Senate in September 2013, the ministry had informed the house that nearly 8,000 Pakistanis were in jails of different countries.

This shows that the number of Pakistani prisoners in foreign jails has been constantly increasing with the passage of time.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully cognisant of its responsibilities towards overseas Pakistanis, especially those who are imprisoned in foreign jails. Our missions are continuously engaged with the local governments in order to facilitate prisoners in the best possibl e manner,” said the written reply in the name of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

It said the Pakistan Community Welfare and Education Fund (PCW&EF), being administered by the ministry, was utilised to extend legal assistance to Pakistanis imprisoned abroad, including payment of lawyers’ fees, fines and cost of repatriation of destitute Pakistani prisoners.

As soon as Pakistani missions come to know about the arrest or detention of any Pakistani, they immediately contact the concerned local authorities through the foreign affairs ministry of the respective country for consular access.

After consular visit, all necessary steps are taken accordingly for release, consular service and repatriation. Our missions provide legal assistance to Pakistani prisoners on need basis. The assistance includes hiring of lawyer, payment of lawyers’ fee, hiring of law firm and provision of translator for cases.

According to the ministry, some countries provide facility of interpreters and lawyers to all prisoners on their own whereas in other countries (European countries specifically) prisoners’ information is provided only after prisoners’ consent. However, if any Pakistani prisoner requests for provision of legal assistance, all efforts are made for provision of effective assistance.

The ministry further said that apart from consular visits, the missions also reached out to the prisoners on occasions like Independence Day as well as Eid holidays.

During such visits, the prisoners are provided items of daily use, including toiletries as well as sweets.

It says that the missions also initiate mercy petitions in the royal courts of the host countries on behalf of the convicted prisoners and extend all possible assistance to families of the prisoners in terms of arranging their telephonic call and to facilitate them to visit the prisoners in person.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2023