A total of 7,208 Pakistani prisoners have been freed from Saudi Arabian prisons between 2019 and 2024, as reported by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in the Senate.
The response was given to a question about the release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners announced during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2019 visit to Pakistan.
The historic visit in February 2019 included a significant announcement for the release of 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails.
Dar’s written reply outlined the breakdown of the releases, with 545 prisoners freed in 2019, 892 in 2020, 916 in 2021, 1,331 in 2022, 1,394 in 2023, and 2,130 in 2024.
However, Dar noted that categorizing the exact number benefiting from the amnesty was challenging due to ongoing deportations and arrivals of prisoners.
Out of the total freed, 4,301 prisoners were under the consular jurisdiction of the Pakistan Consulate General in Jeddah, while 2,907 fell under the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh.
In addition, Dar shared that the Foreign Ministry is working on a comprehensive consular policy in collaboration with various stakeholders to better address the situation of Pakistanis imprisoned abroad.
He also provided information on the overall number of Pakistanis incarcerated globally, which currently stands at 23,456, with a significant portion held in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia (12,156) and the UAE (5,292).
The situation of Pakistani prisoners in foreign jails, many of whom are impoverished laborers lacking legal support, remains a delicate issue.
These workers, primarily employed in the Middle East in construction or domestic work, are vital to Pakistan’s economy through the remittances they send back home.
In February of last year, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights urged the Foreign Ministry to expedite the development of a “Uniform Consular Protection Policy,” which is still in the process of being finalized.
