The oldest prisoner from Guantanamo Bay returns to Pakistan
Saifullah Paracha spent over 20 years in an infamous prison without being charged.
ISLAMABAD:
Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistani citizen and the oldest detainee at the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison, arrived in Pakistan on Saturday after being freed, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In order to expedite Paracha’s repatriation, the ministry finished a protracted inter-agency procedure, according to a news release.
The press release read, “We are delighted that a Pakistani citizen jailed abroad has now reunited with his family.”
In a tweet, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari added his confirmation of the news.
Paracha was detained by US intelligence agents in Thailand in 2003 on suspicion of having ties to Al-Qaeda, although no charges were ever brought against him.
He has several illnesses, such as diabetes and a heart issue.
Authorities claimed the longstanding resident of New York and previous businessman was an Al-Qaeda “facilitator” who assisted two of the 9/11 perpetrators in a financial transaction.
Read US releases Afghan detainee from Guantanamo to Taliban
He acknowledged keeping roughly $500,000 in a safe place for them but insisted he had no idea they were members of Al-Qaeda and denied any involvement in terrorism.
After nearly 19 years in the infamous prison, Paracha, who was 73 at the time, had been approved for release in May 2021.
The federal government had said that Paracha would shortly be returning to Pakistan in November 2021.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed questioned why Paracha, 73, had not yet returned to Pakistan despite being approved by the jail review board earlier this year during the Question House in the Senate meeting, which was presided over by Sadiq Sanjrani.
In response to his question, Ali Muhammad Khan, the then-minister of state for parliamentary affairs, had stated that the government was working with the US government to arrange for the release of Paracha and a few other Pakistanis from Guantanamo Bay.
The US State Department informed the Senate in writing that Washington and Islamabad were coordinating to complete the appropriate procedures for Paracha’s extradition to Pakistan.
