ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered immediate release of 2107 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails, said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Monday.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister in his immediate response said that People of Pakistan are thankful for this gesture.
“HRH Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has graciously agreed to free 2107 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia with immediate effect. Cases of the remaining will be reviewed. People of Pakistan thank HRH for responding immediately to Prime Minister Imran Khan's request,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a tweet.
On Monday night, at a ceremony held at the Prime Minister House in honor for the royal guest, PM Khan extended the request to the crown prince saying, “there are some 3,000 [Pakistani] prisoners” in Saudi jails, pleading for their release.
In an immediate response, the crown prince said “we cannot say no to Pakistan,” and promised to look into the matter, telling Premier Khan to consider him as the “ambassador of Pakistan” in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, on Monday Morning, the prime minister said in a tweet “Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman won the hearts of the people of Pakistan when he said 'consider me Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia' in response to my asking him to treat the 2.5 mn Pakistani's working in KSA as his own.”
The Saudi crown prince arrived in Islamabad, on Sunday, on a two-day official visit to Pakistan as the first leg of his Asia tour.
