ISLAMABAD: More than 800,000 Pakistanis are languishing in Saudi jails, the National Assembly was informed on Monday.
According
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many of the prisoners have
completed their sentences, but couldn’t return home because of
procedural delays on part of the Saudi authorities.
The information was placed before the house in a written reply during the question hour.
Answering supplementary questions, Science Minister Zahid Hamid, filling in for Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, said the government was following the issue and taking necessary measures.
Mr Hamid said the Pakistan embassy officials in #SaudiArabia had played an important role in getting regularised the status of Pakistanis who had overstayed there.
The house was told that 809,700 #Pakistanis were imprisoned in various jails and detention centres of Riyadh and Jeddah.
A detailed reply to the question asked by Tahira Aurangzeb of the PML-N said the living conditions for the detainees were good and they were provided all the basic necessities, including reasonable accommodation, food and healthcare.
During routine visits to the jails by officials of the Pakistani mission in Saudi Arabia, no complaints of maltreatment had so far been received from Pakistani prisoners.
“However, it has been observed that the prisoners even after completion of their terms of awarded sentences are deported back to their respective countries after a considerable delay. This is due to the procedural delays by the Saudi authorities in completing pre-departure formalities.
This issue has been regularly highlighted by the mission with the relevant Saudi authorities at the appropriate level,” the ministry said.
Answering another part of the question, the ministry said 320 Pakistanis were in prisons of Malaysia where, as a matter of policy, the immigration authorities imposed fines and sentences of three to six months on illegal immigrants before allowing them to leave the country. The fines vary from 1,100 to 3,100 ringgit, depending on the length of overstay. A majority of Pakistani illegal immigrants expressed their inability to pay the heavy fines in addition to purchasing the airline ticket for returning home, it said.
After a number of meetings with Malaysian authorities, it was agreed that, as a special case, all Pakistani illegal immigrants would pay a fine of 500 ringgit each without any arrest.
Cases of 249 people who had become illegal due to overstay have been processed without any arrest.
Source: Dawn News
 |
| File Photo of A prisoner |
The information was placed before the house in a written reply during the question hour.
Answering supplementary questions, Science Minister Zahid Hamid, filling in for Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, said the government was following the issue and taking necessary measures.
Mr Hamid said the Pakistan embassy officials in #SaudiArabia had played an important role in getting regularised the status of Pakistanis who had overstayed there.
The house was told that 809,700 #Pakistanis were imprisoned in various jails and detention centres of Riyadh and Jeddah.
A detailed reply to the question asked by Tahira Aurangzeb of the PML-N said the living conditions for the detainees were good and they were provided all the basic necessities, including reasonable accommodation, food and healthcare.
During routine visits to the jails by officials of the Pakistani mission in Saudi Arabia, no complaints of maltreatment had so far been received from Pakistani prisoners.
“However, it has been observed that the prisoners even after completion of their terms of awarded sentences are deported back to their respective countries after a considerable delay. This is due to the procedural delays by the Saudi authorities in completing pre-departure formalities.
This issue has been regularly highlighted by the mission with the relevant Saudi authorities at the appropriate level,” the ministry said.
Answering another part of the question, the ministry said 320 Pakistanis were in prisons of Malaysia where, as a matter of policy, the immigration authorities imposed fines and sentences of three to six months on illegal immigrants before allowing them to leave the country. The fines vary from 1,100 to 3,100 ringgit, depending on the length of overstay. A majority of Pakistani illegal immigrants expressed their inability to pay the heavy fines in addition to purchasing the airline ticket for returning home, it said.
After a number of meetings with Malaysian authorities, it was agreed that, as a special case, all Pakistani illegal immigrants would pay a fine of 500 ringgit each without any arrest.
Cases of 249 people who had become illegal due to overstay have been processed without any arrest.
Source: Dawn News
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