1,100 Pakistanis in Saudi jails to return home soon, says Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a prisoner transfer deal under which 1,100 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails will return home, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said Monday.

In a statement on a private news channel,   the interior minister said these prisoners have already served most of their sentence.

He said, however, that 30 Pakistanis are imprisoned for murder and drug offenses and cannot be released.

These 30 Pakistani prisoners have been sentenced to death by a Saudi court, he said, adding that if Rs1 billion of aid is received, hundreds of more prisoners who have to pay small fines can be released from Saudi jails.

An agreement of the transfer of prisoners was reached between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Kingdom over the weekend.