22 January,2009 02:52 PM IST | | PTI
About 3,500 Pakistani nationals currently in jail in the United Arab Emirates will be repatriated soon to serve the rest of their prison terms in their native country, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik has said.
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The Pakistanis were jailed for a variety of offences, with a majority of them convicted for illegal immigration.
Malik told reporters yesterday that the UAE had decided to repatriate the prisoners to Pakistan following a meeting between officials of the two countries.
The Pakistanis will complete the remainder of their prison terms in Pakistani jails, he said. The prisoners would first be verified by Pakistan's national database authority and lists have been sent to the UAE, Malik added.
The prisoners will be sent back to Pakistan on special charter flights in the next few days. Both countries will also sign a memorandum of understanding in this connection soon. It was also agreed that both countries would gradually remove the ban imposed on families and relatives of prisoners visiting the UAE.
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