Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that 364 Pakistanis are imprisoned in jails across Saudi Arabia while replying to questions in the Senate. These prisons include Riyadh, Jubail, Buridah, Dammam, Khobar and Oniza. Though he clarified that Pakistan’s embassy in the Kingdom is extending all possible assistance to Pakistani prisoners, present in jails and deportation centres. He also added that the Pakistani embassy has sought consular access to the detainees, to inquire about their health and has also forwarded clemency requests from their relatives to the Royal Court. Moreover, the Senate was also informed that the accused were provided translators by the Saudi Arabian government during investigations and proceedings in the courts. Also, in the serious offences, lawyers were provided for the government’s expenses.
An increased number of Pakistanis have featured on the lists of crimes in Saudi Arabia in recent times. Independent research bodies have quoted the number of prisoners much higher than the ones announced by Aziz. The criminals executed in the past few years in the Kingdom include a huge number of Pakistanis. Most of these included drug offences where the accused were caught transporting drugs into the Kingdom.
Other than these prisoners, the labourers in Saudi Arabia had also come under severe pressure as the fall in the oil prices resulted in huge layoffs. Hundreds of thousands of people were rendered jobless and were forced to live in camps. The embassy was severely criticised for its inept response towards the situation. It is appreciable on the part of the foreign office that the prisoners in Saudi Arabia are being provided with the necessary help. Being the citizens of Pakistan, a right to fair trial must be ensured for the accused. International Rights Groups have criticised the dubious justice system in the Kingdom for not ensuring the due process of law. The increased number of criminals with Pakistani origin in Saudi Arabia must ring an alarm bell with the authorities. A majority of these offenders were arrested while transporting drugs in Saudi Arabia. This shows the clumsy performance of the airport authorities in Pakistan for their failure to properly vet the passengers boarding the planes.
