ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Senate was told on Tuesday that three Pakistani nationals are currently being detained in Guantanamo Bay, and legal options are being considered for their repatriation.
To a question by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the House that three Pakistanis namely Saifullah Paracha, Muhammad Ahmad Rabbani a.k.a Ahmad Ghulam Rabbani, and Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani are currently held in Guantanamo Bay jail.
The House was told that Saifullah Paracha was taken into custody by the US authorities from Bangkok in 2003, and according to them, he was providing financial, media, and other material support to Al-Qaeda leaders and operational planners.
While Ahmad Rabbani and Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani were arrested in 2002.
The minister told that according to the US authorities, Ahmad Rabbani had admitted working with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, and played the role of travel and financial facilitator for Al-Qaeda leaders. Whereas Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani also worked as an Al-Qaeda facilitator.
The foreign minister told that our Embassy in Washington D.C. is in contact with the State Department and other concerned US authorities regarding the three prisoners detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
Qureshi told that we have had Consular Access to them as well, and the last visit was conducted on November 4, 2021.
The minister told that our Mission in Washington has been coordinating with the US State Department to discuss legal options for repatriation of Pakistani nationals from Guantanamo Bay prison. He told that the US side has sought written security assurance from Pakistan before repatriation is undertaken.
