ISLAMABAD: The ministry of overseas Pakistanis said on Tuesday 63 Pakistani prisoners had been released by the Saudi government ahead of the Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Saudi Arabia would release at least another 85 Pakistani prisoners on Eid Al-Adha, and a special plane would be dispatched to bring them back.
“63 overseas Pakistani prisoners released by Saudi Govt,” the overseas Pakistanis’ ministry said on Twitter, adding that the release was executed by the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.
Saudi 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 in February 2019.
Since then, hundreds of Pakistani prisoners involved in petty crimes have been released as a goodwill gesture of the kingdom.
