SRINAGAR: At least 20,000 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned across 88 countries, mostly in Saudi Arabia and UAE, according to official data.
Among those incarcerated, 68 Pakistani nationals face death penalty, convicted for crimes such as terrorism, murder, and drug trafficking, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Thursday citing the government report.
A vast majority of these prisoners are held in the United Arab Emirates (5,292) and Saudi Arabia (10,432), making up 74 percent of the total. Besides, 463 Pakistanis are languishing in Malaysian prisons, 321 in the UK, and 578 in Oman, the report said.
Many of them are also in jails of Turkey, Bahrain, Greece, China, the United States and Germany, it said.
“Once imprisoned, these individuals are left at the mercy of local legal systems, often without access to proper legal representation, impartial translators, or sufficient support from Pakistani embassies,” the report said.
