JEDDAH, 27 May 2008 — Pakistan Consul General Zaigham Uddin Azam has said help is on the way for Pakistani prisoners awaiting their release from jail pending payment of fines. The consul general made this assurance at a community gathering at the consulate premises here on Sunday.
With help from philanthropists and the community, four Pakistanis languishing in jails at Makkah, Yanbu and Jizan have their release orders signed, said Azam.
“Having visited prisons in different regions of the Kingdom, the consulate discovered that poor Arabic and lack of communication were the main reasons Pakistanis were put behind bars even on minor charges,” the consul general said, adding that in most cases, the consulate reached the conclusion that the prisoner was asked by the translator to sign the verdict for early acquittal but without understanding what it was all about. “But that goes contrary to the fact,” he added.
Given the situation, the consulate is hiring the services of an interpreter as well as a lawyer in the Western region.
Azam said 40 percent of the prisoners were still waiting for their cases to be heard, while 10 percent were due for release after payment of fines and completion of their jail terms. Another 50 percent were being held on drug offenses.
The consulate is awaiting a reply from the Ministry of Interior to its inquiry related about the number of Pakistani women in Saudi jails, said Azam.
He said that he personally met community members in different regions with a view to solving their problems and forwarding their cases to higher authorities for early results.
The governors of the regions have granted Pakistanis permission to celebrate Pakistan national day in a traditional way, said the consul general.
On absentee voting for expatriate Pakistanis, Azam urged people to first enlist their names on the voters’ list in Pakistan so that the consulate could put forward their request for further consideration.
A group of doctors has been tapped to provide medical assistance to the needy in Madinah and Jeddah, while doctors based in Makkah have been asked to open a clinic in Pakistan House, he said.
About the status of the administration and the principal of Pakistan International School, Azizia, Azam said the concerned department of the government of Pakistan was fully aware of the situation and sooner or later the community would hear good news in this regard.
While welcoming their suggestions, the consul general urged the community to put aside their differences and work together for the betterment of their country.
