* Committee directs Foreign Ministry to summon Saudi envoy
By Ijaz KakakhelISLAMABAD: The Foreign Ministry has been directed to summon Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan to record strong protest over injustice with Pakistanis in the KSA, particularly the three people who were sentenced to death, despite the fact that they had paid diyat of Rs 4 million to the victim’s family.
Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood issued these directions while chairing a meeting at the Parliament House on Saturday. The committee asked the Foreign Ministry to ask Saudi ambassador not to take any action against the three Pakistanis until the provision of authentic documents of diyat and other agreements. He said that the Saudi government always mistreated Pakistanis. He termed the severe torture of the three Pakistanis facing a death sentence as “injustice”. The committee also directed the Foreign Ministry to provide every sort of assistance to Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia. A sub-committee was formed and the Foreign Ministry directed it to provide a daily progress report to it.
Senator Abdul Razik Khan informed the committee the three Pakistani prisoners were in Saudi jail for the last several years. They were being charged for murder but the actual reason was some clashes with local Saudi people. They wanted to behead the innocent Pakistani workers. Initially, they sentenced for 12 years, then increased it to 14 years and now the Saudi Court handed them death sentence. These Pakistanis were severely tortured and according to Saudi rules, they might be beheaded. The relatives of these three prisoners already paid diyat to the victim’s family. After torturing, the Saudi police forced them to sign some legal papers, not giving them a chance to appeal.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs additional secretary informed the committee that the Supreme Court of Pakistan referred the case to the ministry on June 2010 to investigate it. A Pakistan council official, Shabir Hussain of Jeddah went and met the Pakistani prisoners. “The prisoner told Shabir Hussain that a deal has been done between the victim’s family and money has been paid, and related documents would be provided to the Saudi government.” He claimed that the relatives of the prisoners did not provide an agreement document to the ministry.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction that even after a year, the Foreign Ministry failed to contact the relatives of the prisoners’ families. Chairman of the committee directed the Foreign Ministry officials to present that official to the committee who met the Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia. He also asked them to provide complete detail of the prisoners in the next meeting. The senator regretted that the Foreign Ministry totally failed to address the grievances of the expatriates.
Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel told the committee that the matter was with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2004, but no action was taken.
By Ijaz KakakhelISLAMABAD: The Foreign Ministry has been directed to summon Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan to record strong protest over injustice with Pakistanis in the KSA, particularly the three people who were sentenced to death, despite the fact that they had paid diyat of Rs 4 million to the victim’s family.
Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood issued these directions while chairing a meeting at the Parliament House on Saturday. The committee asked the Foreign Ministry to ask Saudi ambassador not to take any action against the three Pakistanis until the provision of authentic documents of diyat and other agreements. He said that the Saudi government always mistreated Pakistanis. He termed the severe torture of the three Pakistanis facing a death sentence as “injustice”. The committee also directed the Foreign Ministry to provide every sort of assistance to Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia. A sub-committee was formed and the Foreign Ministry directed it to provide a daily progress report to it.
Senator Abdul Razik Khan informed the committee the three Pakistani prisoners were in Saudi jail for the last several years. They were being charged for murder but the actual reason was some clashes with local Saudi people. They wanted to behead the innocent Pakistani workers. Initially, they sentenced for 12 years, then increased it to 14 years and now the Saudi Court handed them death sentence. These Pakistanis were severely tortured and according to Saudi rules, they might be beheaded. The relatives of these three prisoners already paid diyat to the victim’s family. After torturing, the Saudi police forced them to sign some legal papers, not giving them a chance to appeal.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs additional secretary informed the committee that the Supreme Court of Pakistan referred the case to the ministry on June 2010 to investigate it. A Pakistan council official, Shabir Hussain of Jeddah went and met the Pakistani prisoners. “The prisoner told Shabir Hussain that a deal has been done between the victim’s family and money has been paid, and related documents would be provided to the Saudi government.” He claimed that the relatives of the prisoners did not provide an agreement document to the ministry.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction that even after a year, the Foreign Ministry failed to contact the relatives of the prisoners’ families. Chairman of the committee directed the Foreign Ministry officials to present that official to the committee who met the Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia. He also asked them to provide complete detail of the prisoners in the next meeting. The senator regretted that the Foreign Ministry totally failed to address the grievances of the expatriates.
Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel told the committee that the matter was with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2004, but no action was taken.
No comments:
Post a Comment