Senate panel for facilitating families of Pakistanis in foreign jails

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday told a Senate panel that 22,150 Pakistani nationals are incarcerated in other countries for various offenses, including illegal entry, murder, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.

The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs met here with Senator Irfan Siddiqui in the chair.

The panel head proposed the creation of special facilitation desks in Foreign Office to assist families of the Pakistanis imprisoned abroad.

He emphasised the need for a systematic approach to keep families informed about the well-being of their incarcerated relatives, urging the ministry to launch public awareness campaigns regarding this initiative. In response to inquiries about government efforts for their release, it was explained that an electronic system in the EU enables real-time data exchange regarding Pakistani prisoners, ensuring that ambassadors are informed and can act swiftly.

The Foreign Ministry of Affairs Friday told the Senate panel that that after the incident involving the Afghan council general in Peshawar the provincial governments have been reminded to get the permission of the Foreign Office prior to meet any foreign dignitaries, describing the agenda of the meeting.

The ministry told the committee that they were waiting for the response of the Afghan government for the act of Afghan council general of not standing for the national anthem of Pakistan.

It was told that the Foreign Office have sent an advisory to the provinces on the issue of not respecting the national anthem so that such an incident does not happen again.

The committee was informed about the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which Pakistan will host, aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and bilateral relations.

It was apprised that participation from all the member heads of government are expected in the summit, to be held next month.

The panel also sought a briefing from the Ministry of Water Resources and other relevant authorities on the reinforcement of Indus Water Treaty and security issues, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.

This issue was raised by Senator Sherry Rehman who elaborated the water issue at length.

Sherry was of the view that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first person to weaponise water and India is building dams on rivers.

The committee also deliberated on the performance of the Foreign Services Academy and related institutions, with a decision to evaluate potential mergers based on overlapping functions.

The meeting was attended by senators Sherry Rehman, Muhammad Abdul Qadir, and Atta ur Rehman, along with senior officials from the ministry including Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.