ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz has said Pakistan can expect some “good news” regarding the release of Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails in the month of Ramadan, the Pakistani Consulate General in Jeddah said on Thursday.
Pakistan’s information ministry had announced in February that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the release of about 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from the kingdom’s jails during a high-profile visit to Islamabad. The announcement came after a request by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Saudi Crown Prince’s announcement on release of Pakistani in Saudi jails is under process,” the Consulate General in Jeddahsaid in a statement emailed to Arab News. “In holy month of Ramadan, we expect some good news regarding this announcement.”
The release of thousands of Pakistani workers locked up in jails across the Middle East is at the top of the new government's agenda.
Huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to the Middle East every year, with many working on construction sites or as domestic helpers. The remittances they send back are vital for Pakistan’s dollar-starved economy.
The crown prince’s visit marked a deepening of ties between allies whose relationship has in the past centered on oil-rich Saudi Arabia backing Pakistan’s economy during difficult periods, and in return Pakistan’s powerful army lending support to Saudi Arabia and its royal family and military.
Saudi Arabia has in recent months helped keep Pakistan’s economy afloat by propping up rapidly dwindling foreign reserves with a $6 billion loan, giving it breathing room as it negotiates a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.
Pakistan showed appreciation by treating Crown Prince Mohammed’s trip as the biggest state visit since one by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, soon after Beijing announced plans to invest tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure in Pakistan as part of China’s Belt and Road initiative.
At a welcome dinner in his honour held at a local hotel in Jeddah, Ambassador Ejaz described the crown prince’s Pakistan's visit as a “major success” that had “started a new era of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan relations.”
He said a number of agreements were signed during that visit, including one on the transfer of prisoners.
“Discussion on the Transfer of prisoner agreement is in process and once the agreement is signed, the prisoners will be able to complete the sentences in their respective countries,” the high commission’s statement quoted the ambassador as saying.
‘Good news’ soon on Pakistani prisoners’ release — envoy to Saudi Arabia
‘Good news’ soon on Pakistani prisoners’ release — envoy to Saudi Arabia
- Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz says more prisoners expected to be released in Ramadan
- In February Crown Prince Mohammed ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails
Pakistan reports new polio case, taking 2025 tally to 31
- The virus infected a four-month-old girl in KP’s North Waziristan district
- Symptoms were detected in December last year, health authorities said
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported a new case of wild poliovirus in its northwest, taking the country’s total number of polio cases in 2025 to 31, health authorities said on Tuesday, highlighting the persistence of the disease in high-risk areas despite vaccination campaigns.
The latest infection was confirmed in a four-month-old girl from North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, which detected wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in laboratory samples.
“The child had onset of symptoms in December, and subsequent samples collected from her were positive for WPV1, the lab reported this week,” said the statement. “Therefore, this is the 31st case of 2025.”
Last year, Pakistan reported 20 cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, according to health authorities. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of Pakistan’s WPV1 cases in 2025, with 17 of the country’s 31 cases reported from the region.
“Ongoing security challenges have limited consistent access for polio teams in parts of southern KP, including North Waziristan, resulting in persistent immunity gaps and leaving children vulnerable to this paralytic disease,” the statement said.
It added that it was critical to ensure that every child is reached with the polio vaccine in every house-to-house campaign and has received full doses of routine immunization.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under five.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.
