KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan on Tuesday said it had designated a special aircraft to bring home 320 nationals languishing in various jails across Malaysia, as part of an initiative undertaken by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The move will see them return on a chartered Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 flight on Wednesday, in time to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their families, a statement released by the Foreign Office said.
“There are more than 320 Pakistani nationals in Malaysian jails who have completed their sentence and were unable to be repatriated, as direct flights got suspended in the last week of February 2019, owing to the regional situation,” the statement read.
It added that a majority of the nationals had been imprisoned “due to expiry of visa or residence permits.”
“The program is an initiative by the Pakistani government which intends to hasten the process to send back their citizens, especially the prisoners who are unable to purchase their own ticket,” Dato’ Indera Kairul Dzaimee bin Daud, director of the Malaysian Immigration Department (MID) told Arab News.
He added that in order to facilitate the initiative, the Pakistani High Commission (HPC) in Kuala Lumpur and the MID were working closely together to expedite the process.
Meanwhile, the MID confirmed that there are more than 300 Pakistanis detained in immigration and detention centers across Malaysia whose travel expenses will be covered by the Pakistani government.
“All the Pakistani (prisoners) will be sent back via airplanes that are specially rented by the government of Pakistan,” he said, adding that the Malaysian immigration agency will oversee the safe repatriation of the prisoners from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“The MID and HCP will always cooperate and ensure smooth handling of immigration matters between the two countries,” Bin Daud said.
In comments to the media last Thursday, Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, said that information pertaining to the matter was made available to the Pakistani government, which prompted PM Khan to take immediate action and direct “the Bait-ul-Mal and Foreign Office to release $577,000 and $145,000 respectively” for the purpose.
Malaysia and Pakistan have enjoyed an amicable relationship for decades. However, the relationship and cooperation between the two Muslim-majority countries has further strengthened with the new government of Malaysia installed last year under Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhamad, and the high-profile visit by PM Khan to Malaysia in November last year.
Malaysia to release 320 Pakistani prisoners by 29 May
Malaysia to release 320 Pakistani prisoners by 29 May
- PM Khan orders designated flight to bring them back
- Several had been imprisoned due to expired visas and residency permits
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
