Deportation of Iraqi prisoners likely

Published August 21, 2003

RAWALPINDI, Aug 20: The government is considering to deport 35 Iraqi prisoners in different Pakistani jails, official source said on Tuesday.

Among the 35 detainees, 23 are in Adiala jail Rawalpindi, three in Karachi, four in Peshawar, four in Hyderabad and one is in Quetta jail.

The government had directed the interior ministry to gather whereabouts of all of them so that they could be deported, source said.

In line with the government’s directive jail authorities had tried to trace relatives of the detainees, if they had any, in Pakistan but nobody was seen visiting them in prisons, source added.

On a number of occasions the Iraqi prisoners had observed hunger strike in Adiala jail protesting against their arrest. One of them had even attempted to commit suicide, source said.

Names of the prisoners in Adiala jail are: John Jajiz, Wasim Jarat, Ali Kazim, Omer Mouzam, Hina Yunas, Abbas, Saleh Aziz, Wasim Hameed, Abdul Ameer, Tahir Ali, Takleef Karim, Haider Hameed, Bakhtar Ibrahim, Jamal Talah, Sameer, Fatah Safar, Ahmed Abood, Ali Akram, Khawal, Yahya Abdul Sayar and Mohammad Muzam.

Four prisoners in Peshawar jail have been identified as Muhammad Saad, Zarar, Mehdi and Latifi Abbas.

One detainee Mohsan Ali is in Quetta jail while Nasir Bin Abbas, Ahmed Bin Habib and Muhammad Zahid are in Karachi jail. The four prisoners in Hyderabad jail are Yousuf Fazal, Farasat Khalil, Anwar Safeer and Muhammad Ali Jabir.