Pakistan to transfer Iranian prisoners under bilateral agreement with Iran

Iranian Consul General meets officials of Home Department of Sindh province in Karachi (Photo: Sindh Information Department)

By Nasir Aijaz
The AsiaN Representative

KARACHI, SINDH, PAKISTAN: The Consul General of Iran and his team held a meeting with the officials of Home Department of Pakistan’s Sindh province in Karachi on Friday October 25, 2024 to discuss essential actions regarding the transfer of Iranian prisoners from Sindh’s jails under the bilateral agreement between Pakistan and Iran.

This meeting was convened in light of the recent discussions held between the Consul General of Iran and the Chief Minister of Sindh. The special session on prisoners’ transfer was led by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Sindh, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, and from the Iranian side, Consul General of Iran in Karachi, Mr. Hassan Nourian.

Additional Chief Secretary of Sindh stated that a mutual agreement for the transfer of convicted prisoners from the local jails to Iran will be implemented. The meeting reviewed the necessary procedures and requirements for transferring convicted prisoners as outlined in the bilateral agreement between Pakistan and Iran. The Prosecutor General and Inspector General Prisons, Sindh also attended the meeting, an official handout said, which didn’t mention the number of such prisoners.

Earlier last year, seven Iranian prisoners were released from the Karachi prison on November 11, while two prisoners were released on October 1. All the released Iranian prisoners were flown to their country by the Iranian Consulate General.

The release of Iranians was the result of constant follow-up of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Karachi and in line with the protection of the rights of Iranians living abroad.

In July 2021 also, three Iranian fishermen, who were detained by Pakistani security forces on charges of entering the country’s waters illegally, were released from prison in Karachi and returned to their homeland.

According to an Iranian News Agency (IRNA) report in 2020, over 60 Iranian nationals detained in prisons in southern Sindh province of Pakistan were released and returned to their homeland.