Former prime minister Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, has conveyed his gratitude to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for facilitating the release of thousands of Pakistani prisoners, according to his counsel.
Khan’s acknowledgment comes after Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed the Senate that Saudi Arabia released 7,208 Pakistani inmates between 2019 and 2024.
During the Saudi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan in February 2019, then-prime minister Khan requested the release of Pakistani prisoners. Shortly after the visit, Mohammed bin Salman ordered the release of a significant number of detainees.
The foreign minister informed the Senate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on a comprehensive consular policy for Pakistanis detained abroad through stakeholder consultations. Meanwhile, consular officers are providing support to incarcerated Pakistani nationals by arranging legal representation and visiting them in detention.
Dar provided a detailed breakdown of the prisoners released from Saudi jails: 545 in 2019, 892 in 2020, 916 in 2021, 1,331 in 2022, 1,394 in 2023, and 2,130 in 2024. He also highlighted that it is challenging to determine the exact number of prisoners released from foreign jails due to the continuous influx of detainees.
Currently, over 23,456 Pakistani nationals are serving prison terms in various countries, including 12,156 in Saudi Arabia, 5,292 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 811 in Greece, and 338 in Qatar. Many of these prisoners were detained for minor offenses, while others had entered the host countries illegally.
Separately, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhary, commented on the charges against the PTI leader in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case. Speaking outside Adiala Jail, Chaudhary questioned the uniformity of witness testimonies presented in the high-profile case and criticized the charges brought against his client.
Last month, Imran Khan was formally indicted in the GHQ attack case. His lawyer emphasized that the PTI’s human rights petitions are still pending before the Supreme Court and urged the constitutional bench to address them promptly.
