ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have decided to form a committee to streamline problems faced by Pakistani inmates in prisons in the Gulf country and ensure their quick repatriation, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, special assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, said on Monday.
A delegation from Islamabad led by Bukhari has reportedly reached an understanding with Dubai police chief Maj. Gen. Abdullah Khalifa Al Mari to exchange prisoner information aimed at the quick repatriation of overseas Pakistanis who have completed jail sentences in the U.A.E., officials in Bukhari’s office, as well as the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, told Arab News, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record.
“For the first time ever we have decided to form a joint committee to resolve issues relating to prisons and imprisoned Pakistanis in #UAE,” Bukhari said in a Twitter post.
Officials at the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis declined further details of Bukhari’s meetings, saying his trip would conclude by the end of the month and the outcome would then be shared publicly. The Foreign Office declined to comment.
There are roughly 1.4 million Pakistanis in the U.A.E. According to the Justice Project Pakistan, some 2,600 Pakistanis are serving time in prison.
Muhammad Arshad Ali, a director at the Overseas Pakistani Foundation, declined to provide details of recent talks held between officials of the two countries but said Pakistan had been engaged in formalizing an agreement with the U.A.E. since October to provide support to nationals charged with petty crimes and misdemeanors.
“Those that have been convicted, we can not interfere in their legal process; only their (Dubai) courts can release prisoners,” Ali said. “But there are cases which require appeal or payment of fines and when officials meet on a state level, through negotiations, those fines are expunged or the (Pakistan) government pays on the prisoner’s behalf.”
Islamabad, Dubai form committee to resolve problems of Pakistani prisoners
Islamabad, Dubai form committee to resolve problems of Pakistani prisoners
- Committee aimed to ensure quick repatriation of Pakistanis who have completed jail sentences
- 2,600 Pakistanis imprisoned in the U.A.E., according to Justice Project Pakistan
Pakistan military says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations across northwest
- Military says counterterror operations launched in Bajaur, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan districts
- The counterterror operations take place as Afghanistan and Pakistan remain locked in conflict since late last month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces this week killed 13 militants in five separate counterterror operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country.
The counterterror operations were conducted on Mar. 6-7, with Pakistani troops killing five militants in the northwestern Bajaur district in the first operation. In two other encounters in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed three militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, five other militants were killed in two separate counterterror operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts in which five more militants were slain.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian-sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “Fitna al Khwarij” to describe TTP militants. The militant outfit has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict brand of Islamic law across the country.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the TTP and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied. Pakistan also accuses India of supporting these militant groups, which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.
The counterterror operations take place as Pakistan remains locked in conflict with Afghanistan since late February.
The worst fighting between the two sides began late last month when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Islamabad has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755 since clashes began.
Afghanistan has also claimed attacking multiple Pakistani military bases and killing several Pakistani soldiers. Arab News has not independently verified the claims by both sides.
Pakistan has ruled out talks with Afghanistan and said it will continue its military operations in the country till it withdraws support for militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.
