ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Malaysia are set to finalise a prisoner transfer agreement, which will pave the way for Pakistani inmates in Malaysia to serve out their sentences in their home country. According to sources, the agreement, which is in its final stages, is expected to be signed within the next few weeks.

The diplomatic sources revealed that Malaysia has shared a draft of the agreement with Pakistan, and Pakistani proposed amendments are being incorporated into the final draft. There are currently 384 Pakistani prisoners in Malaysia, with 187 of them serving sentences for immigration-related crimes.

Five Pakistani women are also among those imprisoned in Malaysia, sources added. In a major development, the Pakistani mission in Malaysia successfully appealed against the death sentences of 10 Pakistani prisoners, who were convicted of drug trafficking and murder.

Once the agreement is signed, Pakistani prisoners in Malaysia will be able to serve out their remaining sentences in Pakistan. In February last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights that 23,456 Pakistanis are imprisoned across the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials added that there are 12,156 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia, while the number of Pakistani prisoners in the United Arab Emirates is 5,292. They said that 706 Pakistanis are behind bars in India, 44 in the United States, and 330 in the United Kingdom.