Jailed Abroad

12,000 Pakistanis are imprisoned in foreign jails, with most of them in Arab and Gulf countries

Islamabad: A large number of Pakistanis continue to travel abroad in search of a better life and a livelihood, but in some cases, they are imprisoned for violating foreign laws.

According to official documents submitted to the National Assembly’s Secretariat by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12,080 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in 111 countries around the world, while approximately 19,300 have been released.

These figures show varying trends depending on the countries where these prisoners are incarcerated. They are mostly imprisoned in Arab and other Islamic countries, while only a few Pakistanis are imprisoned in European countries, with the exception of Greece, where there are a large number of Pakistanis.

The Pakistani missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai jointly reported the highest number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the UAE. According to the figures provided by both of these missions in the UAE, there are currently 3,100 Pakistanis behind bars.

The Dubai mission reported 1,488 Pakistanis in prison, while the Abu Dhabi mission reported 1,612 Pakistanis serving time.

Meanwhile, both missions also reported the number of Pakistanis that had been released.

According to the Abu Dhabi mission, a total of 4,423 Pakistanis have been released from prisons over the last four years, while the Dubai mission reported that 5,273 Pakistani nationals have been released over the same period.

Interestingly, the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) both house the same number of Pakistani detainees.

The missions in Jeddah and Riyadh reported a total of 3,100 Pakistani inmates who are serving their sentences. As per reports, around 1,504 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in Jeddah, and 1,596 are behind bars in Riyadh.

The Jeddah mission, on the other hand, reported that 426 prisoners have so far been released, while the Riyadh mission reported 274 Pakistanis released during the stated period.

In Muscat, Oman, 540 Pakistani nationals are currently incarcerated, with 794 released in the last four years.

In Baghdad, Iraq, 672 Pakistani inmates are serving their sentences as of now, while 2,649 Pakistani prisoners have been released since 2018.

Moreover, while there are Pakistanis in European jails, their numbers, however, are small in comparison, with the exception of Greece. According to the Athens Mission, 811 Pakistanis are currently incarcerated in Greek prisons.

In addition, there are 291 Pakistani nationals in prisons in Rome, Italy, while a mission in London reported that 275 Pakistanis are in prisons in the United Kingdom.

The mission in Frankfurt, Germany, reported 119 Pakistani inmates, and the mission in Paris reported 109 Pakistanis who are languishing in jails. According to mission reports in Ankara, Turkey, there are 329 Pakistanis in prison, with six released in the last four years.

The New York mission reported 40 Pakistanis in prison, while the Washington mission reported 49 Pakistanis in prison. In four years, the mission in Los Angeles reported only six Pakistanis in jail, while 72 other inmates were released.

In Canada, however, there have been no Pakistani inmates.

In terms of Pakistan’s neighbours, a mission in New Delhi reported that 683 Pakistanis are imprisoned and 170 have been released.

Meanwhile, the Guangzhou mission in China reported 90 Pakistanis behind bars, while the Beijing mission reported 124.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims to be fully aware of its responsibility to overseas Pakistanis, particularly those imprisoned in foreign jails.

According to it, Pakistani missions are constantly engaging with the local government in order to facilitate the prisoners.

Legal aid is provided to these prisoners through the Pakistani Community Welfare and Education Fund (PCWEF), which is administered by the foreign ministry. It claims to cover legal fees, fines, and the cost of repatriating destitute Pakistani detainees.

Apart from consular visits, the missions also visit prisoners and detainees on special occasions such as Independence Day and Eid. During these visits, inmates are also given their daily necessities.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly’s panel on foreign affairs continuously calls for the transfer of prisoners and reviews Pakistan’s international treaties.

During its recent meeting, it also recommended that the Pakistani government ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute, affirm the international convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearances, and affirm the international convention for the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the transfer of prisoners necessitates bilateral treaties. The panel questioned why such arrangements had not been put in place while Pakistani prisoners languished in foreign jails. The committee requested clear political guidance on the transfer of prisoners’ treaties with various countries.

Many Pakistanis are likely to be imprisoned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as the majority of Pakistani workers have been employed in both of these countries for decades. These two destinations have also been major sources of remittances for Pakistan.

However, the majority of Pakistanis imprisoned in Greece come from a different background.

Many Pakistanis, mostly from the district of Gujrat in Punjab, attempt to enter Greece illegally using the road route from Balochistan to Iran, Turkey, and then Greece.

According to some accounts, human trafficking agents charge between Rs 400,000 and Rs 500,000 for assisting these people who want to travel to Greece in search of better opportunities. It takes a long time and a lot of problems to get to their destination.

However, once in this country, they may be able to travel to other European countries. Some are also granted asylum, while many others work as low-wage workers in these countries.