Iran releases 28 Pakistani prisoners on humanitarian grounds

ISLAMABAD: Iran on Friday released and repatriated 28 Pakistani prisoners as per Pakistani request made during the recent visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

According to an official handout released by Iranian Embassy, the sentence of Pakistani national prisoners was suspended on humanitarian grounds and to further cement the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries to facilitate the release of the prisoners.

“As agreed, following the recent visit of the Iranian President to Pakistan, some 28 Pakistani prisoners were released and returned to the brotherly country of Pakistan with the suspension of their prison sentences cherishing Islamic benignity and due to the humanitarian goals,” said the statement.

No further details were shared by the Embassy.

It merits mention that an Iranian delegation on on April 4 had called on Minister for Law and Jus­tice senator Azam Nazeer Tarar to discuss issues of mutual interests. The Iranian  delegation was led by Dr. Askar Galailan, Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and Internation­al Affairs.

The Iranian delegation said that there are currently 160 Pakistani prison­ers in Iran’s jails while 60 Iranian pris­oners were in custody in Pakistan. Con­sidering the plight of their loved ones and the relatives of the imprisoned Paki­stanis, the Iranian delegation had proposed to re­lease the Pakistani inmates.

The delegation suggested that in the first phase, the prisoners would be released on humanitarian grounds and sent back to Pakistan. Likewise, Pakistan should also release the Irani­an prisoners and send them back to Iran.

Law Minister had welcomed this pro­posal with open heart and assured all possible cooperation from his side. Steps must be taken with the support of Ministry of Interior for those who are not involved in any legal crime, it was agreed.

In addition, in the meeting, it was also agreed to provide travel and business facilities to improve tour­ism and trade relations. In the end, it was reiterated to play a positive role from both sides.

Later, during the visit of Iranian President Raisi, the commitment was reiterated and both sides agreed to release the inmates.