Indonesia halts the execution of Pakistani citizen

Family and relatives of Zulfiqar Ali, a Pakistani citizen who was allegedly involved in drug trafficking in Indonesia, burst into celebrations when they heard that his execution had been halted. Ali, who was supposed to face the firing squad last night is still alive and well, although he still remains in custody.

On Monday, Ali, 52, was transferred to the Nusakambangan prison island, where all executions take place. The Indonesian authorities had told their counterparts in Pakistan that the execution was imminent and nothing could be done to save Ali.

It is still not known whether the 52-year-old has been pardoned or if his execution has just been postponed. The reason for not executing Ali on Thursday night, as scheduled, is also not known but it has been told that the Indonesian officials will be contacting the Pakistan embassy soon.

Pakistani ambassador to Indonesia, Muhammad Aqil Nadeem also confirmed that Ali’s conviction has been halted. “I can confirm that Zulfiqar Ali’s execution has been halted. We are relieved that his life has been saved,” Nadeem told Geo News via telephone.

Zulfiqar Ali, who belongs to the Mughalpura area of Lahore was living in Indonesia to earn his living. Ali is the sole breadwinner of his family and has six children. When his family heard that Ali is still alive and doing well, they burst into tears from relief.

Ali was arrested from his home in November 2004 for possession of 300 grams of heroin. He was given access to a lawyer a month after his captivity and rights activists maintained that he had not been given a fair trial and had been coerced into accepting the charge.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Jul 29 2016. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.