Guantanamo Bay’s oldest prisoner, 75-year-old Pakistani Saifullah Paracha has been released from prison and finally returned to Pakistan on Saturday after 18 years of imprisonment.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an extensive inter-agency process was completed in order to facilitate the repatriation of Paracha.
Accused of having contacts with Al-Qaeda, Paracha was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand in 2003, and taken to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. He was shifted to Guantanamo Bay in 2004 where he was held for 18 years on the suspicion of financing the Al Qaeda. Paracha was never once charged during his nearly two-decade-long incarceration at the American detention center.
Paracha’s release was approved in May of 2021, and in early September this year, the Foreign Office said that he had completed his citizenship verification and would be released within a month.
The FO said that the US government had wanted to implement a clause stating that Paracha’s movement and travel would be monitored and restricted while in Pakistan, but the FO had objected to the clause, saying that Paracha would be a free citizen in his home country.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed relief over Paracha’s release in a tweet.
Mr. Paracha, who was detained in Guantanamo Bay 🇺🇸 , has been released & reached 🇵🇰 on Saturday. The Foreign Ministry completed an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate repatriation of Mr. Paracha. We are glad that a citizen detained abroad is reunited with his family. https://t.co/VSTOTAbuMP
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) October 29, 2022
