523 Pakistanis are still in Afghan jails

“There are 523 Pakistani prisoners who are still imprisoned by Afghan warlord Abdur Rashid Dostum,” Mr Kasuri said while replying to the question of opposition senators during Question Hour.

He said that their release would be discussed with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai during his visit to Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan had no confirmed information about whether the Afghan government had handed over some Pakistani prisoners to India. “Because of some press reports, Pakistan government has taken up this issue with the Afghan Authorities but they denied that any Pakistani prisoner was handed over to India,” he added.

He said the Pakistan government was also in touch with the US government for the release of Pakistani prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay. “Some of the Pakistani prisoners were repatriated and the remaining would be repatriated very soon,” he said. He told the Senate that 50 Pakistanis were imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.

In a written reply to a question asked by Senator Sanaullah Baloch, Mr Kasuri said that as many as 1,100 Pakistani were arrested by the US and Northern Alliance troops following the defeat of the Taliban. He said that most of the Pakistanis were captured by Northern Alliance warlord Rashid Dostum, and were shifted to Shibarghan Jail, while other were kept in jails in Kabul and elsewhere. Pakistani prisoners who were incarcerated in Shibarghan Jail have recently been shifted to Pull-e-Charakhi jail near Kabul, which was under the control of the central government.

He further said that the government was aware of the suffering of Pakistani citizens in Afghan jails and was conscious of its responsibility in securing their releases and repatriation to Pakistan as soon as possible.

He added that government continued to engage the US as well as Afghan authorities at all levels to secure the earliest possible release of Pakistani prisoners from jails.

He said that he raised the issue with the foreign minister of Afghanistan as well as President Hamid Karzai. “I personally raised this issue again with the foreign minister of Afghanistan Dr Abdullah Abdullah, during his recent to Pakistan from July 13 to 14,” he said.

“I have personally taken up the matter with the US Secretary of Sate Collin Powell, with the Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and other US authorities and Afghan government on several occasions,” he said.

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