The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that 15,953 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries, with the highest number — 10,289 — in Saudi Arabia despite an extradition agreement between the two nations.
Majority of prisoners in Gulf countries
According to a document presented in the National Assembly, 13,852 Pakistani prisoners are held in three countries with which Islamabad has signed extradition agreements. These include 3,523 in the United Arab Emirates and 50 in Kuwait, alongside Saudi Arabia’s significant share.
Other Gulf nations also host a considerable number of inmates: 581 in Bahrain, 252 in Oman, and 599 in Qatar. Smaller figures were recorded in Iraq (81), Jordan (8), and Egypt (4).
Prisoners in Asia-Pacific nations
Beyond the Gulf, the report noted Pakistani detainees in Southeast and East Asia, including 469 in Malaysia, 35 in Thailand, 22 in Cambodia, and one each in the Philippines and Vietnam. In the Asia-Pacific region, there are 27 in Australia, 7 in South Korea, and 16 in Japan.
Countries without extradition treaties
The ministry confirmed that 2,100 Pakistanis are in prisons across 14 countries that have no extradition agreement with Pakistan.
Repatriation efforts underway
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed lawmakers that Islamabad and Riyadh have signed a prisoner repatriation agreement, enabling 16 convicts to serve the remainder of their sentences in Pakistan. So far, 27 prisoners have been returned from Saudi Arabia under this arrangement.
Pakistani missions remain in close contact with Saudi judicial authorities, having assisted over 4,000 prisoners in Saudi jails until May 2025. Interviews of 735 inmates have been conducted, with cases now under process for transfer.
In June 2025, Pakistan also requested the UAE to return 77 prisoners, with 30 already approved for transfer.
