Three Pakistani children released from Saudi jail return home

ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani children, who had spent over two years behind bars in Saudi Arabia, returned back to the homeland on Thursday.

The three children, Ayan, Mannan and Bushra were released after a meeting of Overseas Ministry officials with Saudi authorities.

The children were in the prison under social protection department of Saudi Arabia. They were detained in 2016 after their parents were convicted of bringing heroin into Saudi Arabia. Bushra had already been sent to Pakistan while Ayan and Manan have arrived homeland today.

It is pertinent to mention here that Zulfikar Bukhari, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis took notice of a news on media about Pakistani women and children in Saudi jails.

He ordered an inquiry into the matter and asked the managing director OPF and Community Welfare Attache Jeddah to contact Saudi authorities for the release of Pakistani prisoners.

Earlier, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development Zulfikar Bukhari, on March 12, had said 230 Pakistanis released from Saudi Arabia’s jail had reached the country.

“The previous governments did not do anything for overseas Pakistanis. The ministry of overseas Pakistanis was known for corruption in Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) and Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI),” Zulfikar Bukhari had said in a statement.