Saifullah Paracha, the last Pakistani detained at infamous Guantanamo Bay, will soon be released, according to the ministry of interior officials who testified before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights.
The government has confirmed his identity and informed the US authorities of it. Businessman Saifullah, 74, has been held in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility since he was apprehended in Bangkok in 2003. He was accused of having connections to senior Al-Qaeda figures. Mustafa, Saifullah’s son, attended the standing committee meeting, which was held on Monday and was presided over by Senator Walid Iqbal, to examine the problem of Pakistani nationals who are being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Mustafa revealed to the committee that his family was born in Pakistan. According to him, his brother and father were both detained in Thailand and New York in 2003. They received a sentence of 30 years in prison. He said that the judge who had given them their sentence had reversed it in 2018. His sibling was freed after a court order for their release. Sadly, Mustafa claimed, his father is still detained in Guantanamo Bay because the interior ministry was unable to verify his identity.
The committee was informed by representatives of the foreign affairs ministry that the US government had been informed of the interior ministry’s confirmation of Saifullah’s nationality. The victim would shortly be released, they claimed. A report on the subject has been requested by Senator Walid Iqbal, and it must be submitted by September 15. Since being apprehended in Bangkok in 2003, 74-year-old Paracha has been held captive in the Guantanamo Bay prison facility. He was accused of having connections to senior Al-Qaeda figures. According to a State Department official, Paracha is still being held under the law of war, which is a legal system that the American government has employed to keep individuals who disobey the laws that are in effect on American soil.
A federal court in New York found Uzair, Paracha’s son, guilty in 2005. He was charged with supporting terrorism. He was accused in part based on testimony from Guantanamo witnesses that the US used to support the detention of his father. But in March 2020, after the US government opted against seeking a new trial after the court disregarded the witness testimony, Uzair was freed and returned to Pakistan.
Pakistani prisoner detained for 16 years at Guantanamo Bay approved for release
Paracha made his eighth appearance before the review board in November 2020. The review board was established under President Barack Obama to try to stop the release of detainees whom authorities believed might engage in anti-US hostilities after being released from Guantanamo. Paracha has several health issues, including diabetes and a heart condition.
- Misleading Video Alters Prime Minister Shehbaz’s Speech Targeting Political Rival, Not His Party - 21/04/2024
- ATC Grants Three-Day Remand for Suspects in Ichhra Bazaar Harassment Case - 19/03/2024
- Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh Lead World in Severe Smog Crisis, Exceeding WHO Guidelines - 19/03/2024
