A Pakistani al-Qaeda in Saudi prisons waiting for the fulfillment of Mohammed bin Salman promise

Manur Ali, a Pakistani who was thrilled when Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced in February a plan to free more than 2,000 Pakistani detainees in prison.

But two months later, Ali, along with thousands, still await the crown prince's promise.

With the execution of a Pakistani and his wife, who were accused of smuggling drugs to Saudi Arabia last week, Ali's feelings of joy turned to worry about the fate of his wife and sister, who were jailed in Jeddah after being arrested at the airport in 2015.

Ali, the father of four children, said the authorities arrested him (his wife and sister) after they seized banned drugs in a box held by a "strange woman" at the Multan airport in northeastern Pakistan before boarding the plane to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

Traps smugglers
Poor and illiterate Pakistanis often fall prey to drug traffickers on the pretext of offering free Umrah or Hajj, where these drugs or other substances are banned in their bags. Many of them are arrested as soon as they arrive in Saudi territory, while they can not defend themselves because of the language barrier.

According to human rights sources, the Saudi authorities have executed dozens of Pakistanis accused of drug trafficking in recent years.

Ali's wife was sentenced to seven years in prison and his 20-year-old sister in 2016, but according to Ali, who runs a shop in Karachi, they were covered by a royal amnesty issued in 2018 by royal decree.

"I thought it would take a few days or weeks, but more than two months have passed and we have no idea how long they will be released," Ali said.

The two women were held in a special cell in Jeddah prison along with about 25 other women, who were also covered by the Royal Decree, allowing them to contact their families by telephone.

"I just talked to my wife, she asks me only one thing, when will we be released?"

"We are among the jaws of fear and hope, especially after the recent executions of Pakistan and his wife."

victim
"Abdul Sattar," another Pakistani citizen of Karachi, has a similar story, said in an interview with Anatolia that the Saudi authorities arrested his wife at Jeddah airport after being convinced by "good actor" to carry pills against toxins for money, to be sentenced to 15 years in 2015, Before being included in a royal amnesty last year and is currently waiting to be deported.

"We were very happy when Mohammed bin Salman announced the amnesty," said Abdul Sattar, the father of six children, three of whom are suffering from fatal diseases. "I and my children thought we would see them soon, but we are still waiting."

"I have not lost hope yet, I'm sure the crown prince will keep his promise soon," he said.

Safia Bibi, another Karachi resident, is waiting for her husband, who is jailed in Saudi Arabia, to return to warmer temperatures. "He is a cancer patient and has already completed his eight-year sentence but has not yet been released," she said.

Progress is slow
On Thursday, inmates staged a demonstration at the Karachi Journalists' Club to protest the status of their relatives and to demand their release.

In February, Mohammad Bin Salman announced that 2,107 Pakistani prisoners would be released from prison on a "special request" made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Hours after the announcement, a group of Pakistani prisoners arrived in Islamabad on a private Saudi plane, although according to media reports they were not included in the number because they had already completed their sentences.

According to the private channel "Sama" Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has released 125 Pakistani prisoners so far after the announcement of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

"I am in contact with the Saudi authorities on the issue of prisoners," Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Aghaz told local news agency Gunn.

He said he had not yet received any lists of Pakistani prisoners expected to be released from the Saudi authorities.

"I do not think the prisoners sentenced to death will be released," he said, adding that only those convicted of minor crimes would be released.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal refused to make any statement on the subject despite repeated questions.

The Saudi embassy in Islamabad also did not have access to any official to obtain a permit.

Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries are mainly based on economic relations, where Pakistani expatriates in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf transfer large amounts to their country.

Saudi Arabia alone hosts 1.9 million Pakistani expatriates, who annually transfer more than $ 4.5 billion to their country, according to figures released by the government bank.

The two sides signed a number of economic agreements and investment contracts worth $ 20 billion in February.