Govt to provide legal assistance to Pakistani prisoners in foreign jails, Senate told

ISLAMABAD: The Senate was informed that a holistic approach will be adopted to provide full legal and humanitarian assistance to the Pakistani prisoners languishing in foreign jails.

Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari told the House on Thursday during question hours that consular services of Pakistani missions abroad will be upgraded for this purpose. She said a policy decision will also be taken to get in touch with different countries for repatriation of Pakistani prisoners.

The Minister for Human Rights said the present government will bolster efforts to produce skilled workforce keeping in view the demand of jobs in the gulf and other countries.

Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan told the house that Gwadar Port is a big national asset. He said currently limited exports and commercial imports are taking place from the port.

In a written reply, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the house that safeguarding national security, promoting Pakistan’s economic interests and strengthening international partnerships have been some of the overarching themes of country’s foreign policy.

He said the foreign policy as in any other democratic country is formulated by the government. He, however, said the parliament, security agencies and some other ministries play an equally important role in providing crucial inputs. This practice, he said, is also followed in other countries as well.

The Senate also passed a resolution urging the government to immediately enact legislation to criminalize enforced disappearances. The resolution was moved by Mian Raza Rabbani of PPP.

The resolution also asked the government to join the international campaign to end enforced disappearances by ratifying the international convention on protection of all persons against enforced disappearances.