73-year-old Pakistani Approved For Release From Guantanamo Bay After 16 Years

The release of Saifullah Paracha, the 73-year-old Pakistani prisoner at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, has been approved after being held for 16 years.

According to the foreign news agency, his lawyer informed him about the development.

Saifullah Paracha’s lawyer, Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, said his client had been arrested on suspicion of belonging to al-Qaeda, but that no charges had been brought against him.

He said the Prisoners’ Review Board acquitted him and two others of all charges.

Saifullah Paracha’s lawyer said the notification did not provide details of the decision and only concluded that Saifullah Paracha was no longer a “constant threat” to the United States.

However, this does not mean that Saifullah’s release is certain, but the decision of the Prisoners Review Board is important for his repatriation and in this regard, the governments of the two countries will reach an agreement for Saifullah’s repatriation.

US President Joe Biden’s administration has said it intends to resume efforts to close the detention centre, a move halted by former President Donald Trump.

Saifullah Paracha’s lawyer said she believed he would be repatriated in the next several months.

“The Pakistanis want him back, and our understanding is that there are no impediments to his return,” she said.

A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

In addition, Osman Abdul Rahim Usman, a young Yemeni man detained in 2002, was released from Guantanamo Bay.

Saifullah Paracha, who lives in the United States and owns a property in New York City and is a wealthy businessman in Pakistan.

U.S. officials have accused him of being a “facilitator” of al Qaeda and financing the 9/11 attacks.

Saifullah Paracha denied any involvement in terrorism.

The United States detained Saifullah Paracha in Thailand in 2003 and held him at Guantanamo Bay since September 2004.

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