Over 23,000 Pakistani nationals imprisoned oversees: Pak Foreign Ministry

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has said that 23,456 Pakistani nationals are lodged in jails abroad in a range of cases including drug smuggling, rape, murder, and robbery, according to a media report on Monday.

Of these, 12,156 are being held in Saudi Arabia alone, the ministry informed the National Assembly during question hour, the Dawn newspaper reported.

In a written reply, the ministry said that the United Arab Emirates holds 5,292 Pakistanis, while 450 are imprisoned in Bahrain — mostly for drug trafficking, drug possession, and fraud. PTI