1,200 Pakistani prisoners brought back from the UAE amid pandemic – PM aide

1,200 Pakistani prisoners brought back from the UAE amid pandemic – PM aide
In this photo taken on 18th April 2020, a special PIA flight repatriated Pakistani expats from UAE to Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Twitter account)
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Updated 26 July 2020
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1,200 Pakistani prisoners brought back from the UAE amid pandemic – PM aide

1,200 Pakistani prisoners brought back from the UAE amid pandemic – PM aide
  • Bukhari says only 121 remain in prisons in Abu Dhabi
  • Follows return of 75,000 Pakistani expatriates from the emirates in recent months

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has repatriated 1,200 prisoners from the UAE in recent months as part of the country’s “humanitarian efforts” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Overseas Pakistanis said on Saturday night.
“A part of our humanitarian efforts during COVID-19 was release and repatriation of 1,200 prisoners from UAE, with 121 now left in prisons in Abu Dhabi,” Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari said in a tweet.
He further thanked UAE Interior Minister Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi, UAE’s ambassador in Islamabad, for their support in the release of Pakistani prisoners.
Bukhari was on a three-day visit to the UAE from July 23-25, during the visit he discussed issues faced by the Pakistani community in the UAE, particularly those who had lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak and were stranded in the country.
According to a statement issued by Bukhari’s office on Sunday, nearly 75,000 Pakistanis had returned from the UAE on more than 300 select flights, recently.