Madina incident: Saudi Crown Prince orders release of Pakistanis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has ordered the release of Pakistanis jailed over violating the sanctity of the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madina by sloganeering against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

According to details, Saudi Crown Prince ordered the release of Pakistanis at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – who is currently on a two-day official visit to the Kingdom.

PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked Mohammed Bin Salman – who is also the Kingdom’s prime minister – for his goodwill gesture. The prime minister had requested the release of Pakistani prisoners arrested over Masjid-e-Nabawi incident in April, 2022.

“I am deeply grateful to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mr Muhammad bin Salman, who, on my request, ordered the release of the Pakistanis arrested in Saudi Arabia for the April 2022 incident. We pray to Allah Almighty to make us better Muslims who forgive each other’s mistakes,“ the premier wrote on Twitter.

میں سعودی ولی عہد جناب محمد بن سلمان کا تہہ دل سے شکر گزار ہوں کہ جنہوں نے میری درخواست پر سعودی عرب میں اپریل 2022 کے واقعے پر گرفتار پاکستانیوں کی رہائی کا حکم دیا۔ الّلہ تعالی سے دعا ہے کہ وہ ہمیں ایک دوسرے کی غلطیوں پر درگزر کرنے والا بہتر مسلمان بنائے۔

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 26, 2022

It is pertinent to mention here that a local court in Madina had sentenced Pakistanis eight to three years in prison in August for violating the sanctity of the sacred place.

Khawaja Luqman, Muhammad Afzal, and Ghulam Muhammad were sentenced to eight years in prison while Anas, Arshad, and Muhammad Salim were awarded six years of jail time. Moreover, Tahir Malik was also sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined 10,000 riyals.

Earlier in April, Saudi Arabia’s authorities arrested some Pakistanis over violating the sanctity of the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madina by loudly chanting slogans against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation.

According to details, a spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Pakistan, while confirming the arrests of Pakistanis, said that citizens have been arrested for violating the sanctity of the sacred place.

As PM Shehbaz and his delegation arrived at the mosque, the protesters started chanting slogans of “chor, chor (thieves)” when they saw the premier and harassed and raised objectionable slogans against Marriyum Aurangzeb.