KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday once again issued notices to federal authorities on a petition seeking repatriation of 17 Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails despite serving their terms.
A division bench was hearing a petition filed by Ansar Burney Trust submitting that as many as 17 Pakistanis are still behind the bars for several years in India despite they have already served their respective terms.
The petitioner informed the court that as per interior ministry confirmation in 2015, Nasir Mahmood son of Sakhi Mohammad, Mohammad Rafiq son of Mohammad Nawaz Sial and Nazir Ahmed son of Haji Lal Khan were still in India.
“Mohammad Yousuf Khawaja son of Mohammad Ayub, Mohammad Usama son of Mohammad Shafi Attar, Abdul Malik son of Mohammad Ajmal and Mohammad Saeed Sabir son of Hafiz Abdul Majid was confirmed in 2006,” the social organization reminded.
Besides, the list said the national status of prisoners Waseem Noor son of Noor Mohammad, Mohammad Abdullah son of Mohammad Zareen, Mohammad Zafar Iqbal son of Mohammad Yousuf, Ghulam Farid son of Mohammad Shafi, Abdul Majid son of Mohammad Qasim, Tasneem Azeem son of Raeed Azeem, Sikandar-e-Azam Sani, Khalid Mehmood son of Mohammad Ayub and Abdul Matin son of Haji Mohammad Yaqub was confirmed by the in 2010.
The petitioner had also placed on record a letter of the foreign ministry to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi containing the list of 17 Pakistani prisoners with the dates of confirmation of their national status by the interior ministry.
According to the letter, Pakistan’s mission at New Delhi was requested to take up the matter with the Indian government for an early release of the Pakistani prisoners as well as all those who had completed their sentences.
The foreign ministry letter to the Pakistan mission in New Delhi said these Pakistani prisoners had reportedly completed their sentences.
The court was requested to direct the federal government to take measures for Pakistanis prisoners’ repatriation from India at the earliest.
Issuing notices to interior and foreign ministries, the court directed them to furnish their replies by the next hearing.