The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday that approximately half of the 20,000 Pakistani citizens currently detained in jails abroad are being held in Saudi Arabia for various crimes.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, revealed during the question break that a total of 10,279 Pakistanis are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. The figure is part of a larger total of 19,997 Pakistani citizens detained in foreign prisons, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dar provided details of the prisoner repatriation process, stating that emergency travel documents are issued to those whose passports have expired upon completion of their sentences. He also clarified that the Pakistani community helps pay the fines of prisoners who have served their sentences.
“There is no obstacle to the repatriation of prisoners to Pakistan,” Dar said, adding that Saudi Arabia had agreed to transfer 570 prisoners back to Pakistan under a bilateral agreement.
According to the latest figures obtained from 88 Pakistani diplomatic missions around the world, a total of 68 Pakistanis are on death row in 10 countries, facing charges including terrorism, murder and drug trafficking. The data also highlighted major charges faced by Pakistanis abroad such as illegal immigration, drug possession, murder, human trafficking and various forms of assault.
While Saudi Arabia has the highest proportion of imprisoned Pakistanis, other countries with significant numbers include the United Arab Emirates (5,292), Greece (598) and Oman (578). Additional details provided by Dar show a breakdown of nationals detained in other countries, including Malaysia, Turkiye and the United Kingdom, with many of them facing serious charges ranging from fraud and money laundering to espionage and smuggling.
