Pakistani Consul General Zaigahamuddin Azam recently visited prisoners from his country at the prison here and explored ways to offer them legal assistance. The visit was organized by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The total number of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails are 1,300. Out of them 600 are in the Western Region, the rest are in the Eastern Region. Regarding the nature of crimes for which these Pakistanis have been imprisoned, Consul General Azam told Saudi Gazette that 40 percent of the cases involved forged documents. Theft cases, disputes with sponsors, traffic accidents and drug trafficking cases form the rest, he said. There are prisoners who have been in jail for a year without being taken to court due to the lengthy process of research involved in collecting details of their crimes. However, Saudi authorities assured the consular team that the period would be counted in the prison term as and when the case is adjudicated, Azam said. Some prisoners have completed their jail term but are yet to be released for lack of finance to pay their fines. The consulate arranged to pay fines of SR 50,000 for 8 prisoners who were then released. Community members have also helped in collecting funds to pay fines. The consulate has approached the Government of Pakistan to pay up to SR10,000 to get prisoners involved in minor crimes released after paying fines. Azam said Khursheed Shah, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, has promised to get the approval for a bilateral agreement with Saudi authorities to transfer Pakistani prisoners to Pakistan for the completion of their jail terms. Azam advised all Pakistanis not to get involved with criminals. However, he assured the community that the doors of the consulate are always open in case of any difficulty. A number of Pakistani prisoners do not have an Iqama or any valid papers and the consulate faces difficulty in helping them, he said. The Consul General appealed to community members to abide by the rules of the Kingdom. “Saudi Arabia is our second home and nobody would like to spoil his living in his home,” he said. __
