The Government of Pakistan has an obligation, under the Constitution and International law, to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens detained abroad. According to official estimates, there are over 23,000 Pakistani citizens languishing in jails across the world, with the highest number in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Greece, India and Iraq.
Encouraged by the state, millions of Pakistanis emigrate to foreign lands to seek better opportunities, particularly in the Gulf countries. Pakistan is counted amongst the countries that rely heavily on foreign remittances for economic stability and foreign reserves. However, despite its dependence on foreign remittances from migrant workers, Pakistan must do more to protect these vulnerable citizens from landing in foreign jails.
Pakistanis imprisoned abroad are at the mercy of local courts without access to lawyers, impartial translators, or adequate consular assistance from the Pakistani diplomatic missions. These destitute Pakistanis face the harshest punishments due to their lack of understanding of and assistance with the legal process, incapability to communicate directly with the court, and inability to produce evidence from Pakistan in their defence.
Foreign nationals in conflict with the law face a heightened risk of harsh punishment and due process violations. As such, it is incumbent upon the Government of Pakistan to provide effective consular assistance and representation to all overseas Pakistani prisoners,
and ensure that their fundamental rights are not violated. Furthermore, the Government of Pakistan should actively pursue the implementation of bilateral prisoner transfer agreements, with the aim of repatriating Pakistani nationals and allowing them to serve out their sentences in their home country.
