Pakistan Suspends Prisoner Swap Deals With Various Countries – Ministry

The Pakistani Interior Ministry stated that the country had stopped the implementation of prisoner exchange treaties with several countries.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Pakistan ordered to halt the implementation of prisoner exchange treaties with several countries amid reports that convicts kept in Pakistani jails were illegally released, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

“Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has stopped the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, as well as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from making any progress in cases under any such agreement till the formulation of a new and transparent policy,” the ministry said as quoted by the PakTribune newspaper.

Pakistan has been involved in a series of prisoner exchange agreements with such countries as the UK, Spain, UAE, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Under these treaties a number of convicts have been sent to Pakistan from abroad to serve their prison terms.

Earlier this month, British authorities filed a complaint saying that three prisoners, sent to Pakistan in 2010 to serve their sentence ranging from 18 to 25 years for drug trafficking and murder, were released without completing their sentences.

Following the investigation Pakistani officials arrested a police officer and an interior ministry official.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry ordered an investigation into the incident to be fulfilled in a week and called for an arrest of the officials who aided the convicts.