Islamabad: According to a written statement by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in the National Assembly, more than 21,600 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in foreign jails.
In foreign jails they face charges ranging from drug offences to immigration violations as confirmed by the minister. Thousands of them are awaiting trial in different countries.
About 738 Pakistan’s nationals are being held in India according to Ishaq Dar. However, Indian authorities have not shared details about the charges against them.
10,745 Pakistanis are detained in Saudi Arabia making it the highest number of Pakistanis imprisoned in a country. The reason for arrests are mostly drug-related cases and illegal border crossing. Many of them are on trial while many of them are serving sentences.
About 141 Pakistani nationals have been arrested in the United States in various legal cases according to the Foreign Minister.
About 5297 Pakistanis are also jailed in United Arab Emirates according to the government’s data. However, no information has been provided on the nature of the alleged offences.
652 Pakistanis are facing trial in China mostly for fake currency, drug trafficking, immigration violations and fraud.
Other countries include Qatar with 599 prisoners, Malaysia with 444, Oman with 578, Bahrain with 218, Italy with 353, Afghanistan with 91 and Turkiye with 190.
About 13,078 Pakistanis are under trial while 8569 have been convicted in foreign courts as confirmed by the minster.
Also read: FO denies reports of Pakistani’s arrest in U.S., suspect is an Afghan National
