ISLAMABAD: Riyadh will “soon” release a large number of Pakistanis languishing in prisons across Saudi Arabia, the country’s top envoy to Pakistan has said, fulfilling a commitment made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a high-profile visit to Islamabad earlier this year.
Pakistan announced in February that Crown Prince Salman had ordered the release of about 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from the Kingdom’s jails during a high-profile visit to Pakistan.
“Soon you will see the return of the [Pakistani] prisoners,” Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki told Arab News on Friday, adding that while some prisoners “are going to be released immediately, some are under process.”
In April, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said 3,400 Pakistanis were currently imprisoned in Saudi jails according to an official count received from Saudi authorities. He said Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in the Kingdom was working with Saudi officials for the release of 2,107 prisoners as ordered by the crown prince.
The fate of thousands of Pakistani workers locked up in jails across the Middle East is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where there is a perception that the prisoners are mostly poor laborers who have no real legal recourse.
Huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia and to various countries across the Middle East every year, with several working on construction sites or as domestic helpers. The remittances they send back are vital for Pakistan’s dollar-starved economy.
Riyadh to release Pakistani prisoners soon: Saudi envoy
Riyadh to release Pakistani prisoners soon: Saudi envoy
- “Some prisoners are going to be released immediately, some are under process,” Al Malki says
- Kingdom to free more than 2,100 inmates as announced by Crown Prince Salman during Pakistan visit
Pakistan Air Force conducts ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ to test combat readiness, agility
- The exercise follows an intense, four-day Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025
- It focused on AI-enabled operations integrating disruptive technologies, military says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted “Exercise Golden Eagle” that successfully validated its combat readiness and operational agility through synchronized employment of the PAF’s complete combat potential, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
It comes months after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May, with Islamabad claiming victory in the standoff after the PAF claimed to have shot down at least six Indian fighter aircraft, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged some losses but did not specify a number.
The exercise was conducted on a Two-Force construct, focusing on AI-enabled, net-centric operations while integrating indigenous niche, disruptive and smart technologies in line with evolving regional security dynamics, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Operating within a robust Integrated Air Defense System, friendly forces shaped the battlespace through seamless fusion of kinetic operations with cyber, space and electro-magnetic spectrum operations.
“The kinetic phase featured First-Shoot, First-Kill swing-role combat aircraft equipped with long-range BVR air-to-air missiles, extended-range stand-off weapons and precision strike capabilities, supported by Airborne Early Warning & Control platforms and Air-to-Air Refuelers,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“A key highlight of the exercise was Manned–Unmanned Teaming, with deep-reach killer drones and loitering munitions operating in a highly contested, congested and degraded environment, validating PAF’s capability to conduct high-tempo operations in modern warfare.”
In recent months, many countries have stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple nations have proposed learning from the PAF’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that officials say were successfully employed during the May conflict.
“The successful conduct of Exercise Golden Eagle reaffirms Pakistan Air Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a high state of operational preparedness, leveraging indigenous innovation and effectively countering emerging and future security challenges,” the ISPR added.
