Over 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 61 different countries

ISLAMABAD (Rizwan Abbasi):  Documents of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis have revealed that 21,406 Pakistani citizens are currently imprisoned in 61 countries of the world on various charges.

A large number of whom are serving sentences in the Gulf states. According to official documents, records of prisoners have not been received from 14 Pakistani embassies so far, while the details of Pakistanis imprisoned in several countries have not been fully shared.

The highest number of 10,423 Pakistani citizens are in prison in Saudi Arabia for various crimes or legal violations. 5,297 are in the United Arab Emirates, and 1,437 are in custody in Turkey.

738 Pakistanis are imprisoned in India, 578 in Oman, 463 in Malaysia, 422 in Qatar, 42 in Kuwait, 40 in Iraq, and 4 in Iran.

65 Pakistanis, including Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, are in the US, 23 in the UK, and 27 in Australia as per the details.

42 in Spain, 85 in Afghanistan, 112 in Sri Lanka, 1 in Bangladesh, 19 in Nepal, 11 in Bulgaria, 21 in Denmark, and 75 in South Africa.

The documents also reveal that France did not share the details of the prisoners with the Pakistani authorities under local privacy laws.

There are 16 Pakistanis imprisoned in Japan, of whom the information of 6 Pakistanis was not provided to the Pakistani embassy.

According to the documents, Pakistani citizens are imprisoned in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, simply for not being able to pay fines.

It was further stated that no Pakistani citizens are currently imprisoned in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Dar es Salaam, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, and Singapore.