More than 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries, NA told

More than 21,000 Pakistani nationals are currently imprisoned in 72 countries around the world, the National Assembly was informed in a written response by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The details of Pakistani prisoners held abroad were presented in the lower house of parliament in response to a question raised by lawmaker Tahira Aurangzeb. According to the foreign minister’s written reply, a total of 21,647 Pakistanis are detained in foreign prisons.

Of these, 13,078 prisoners are facing trial, while 8,569 have been convicted and are serving sentences, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry stated that Pakistani nationals are facing cases involving various offences, including fraud, drug trafficking, sexual assault, fake visas, forged documents and murder, among other charges.

Saudi Arabia has the highest number of imprisoned Pakistanis, with 10,745 nationals held in the country. Of these, 5,445 are detained in Jeddah, while 5,300 are imprisoned in Riyadh.

The United Arab Emirates ranks second, with 5,297 Pakistani nationals in detention, according to the figures presented to the National Assembly.

The documents also revealed that 2,100 Pakistanis are imprisoned in 14 countries with which Pakistan does not have prisoner extradition agreements. These figures highlight the legal and consular challenges faced by Pakistani nationals detained in countries where formal extradition arrangements are not in place.

Among these countries, 599 Pakistanis are imprisoned in Qatar, 581 in Bahrain, 459 in Malaysia and 252 in Oman. The figures further show that 81 Pakistani nationals are detained in Iraq, 35 in Thailand, 27 in Australia, 22 in Cambodia, 16 in Japan, 12 in Egypt, eight in Jordan and seven in South Korea.

One Pakistani national each is imprisoned in the Philippines and Vietnam, according to the ministry’s documents.

The figures provide an overview of the number of Pakistanis facing legal proceedings or serving sentences overseas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the information as part of its response to parliamentary questions concerning Pakistani citizens detained in foreign countries.