RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has ordered the release of Pakistani nationals, who were serving their jail sentence after being convicted in a sloganeering incident at Masjid-e-Nabwwi (PBUH).
In August this year, a court in Madina awarded jail sentence of up to ten years to six Pakistani nationals for their involvement in the sloganeering incident during the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation in April.
The court handed ten years imprisonment to three Pakistani each and eight years jail term each to three other Pakistanis, besides imposing fine on them.
The development comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his recent visit to the kingdom, requested the crown prince to release the convicted Pakistanis.
Taking to Twitter, the prime minister has thanked the Saudi crown prince for releasing the individuals at his request.
میں سعودی ولی عہد جناب محمد بن سلمان کا تہہ دل سے شکر گزار ہوں کہ جنہوں نے میری درخواست پر سعودی عرب میں اپریل 2022 کے واقعے پر گرفتار پاکستانیوں کی رہائی کا حکم دیا۔ الّلہ تعالی سے دعا ہے کہ وہ ہمیں ایک دوسرے کی غلطیوں پر درگزر کرنے والا بہتر مسلمان بنائے۔
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 26, 2022
In April this year, a group of people surrounded the delegation of the Pakistani government when it entered the Prophet’s mosque and started raising unwelcoming slogans against it, violating the sanctity of the mosque where Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) is located.
The video of the incident was widely shared on social media to condemn people involved in it.
Later, the Saudi authorities arrested the people involved in the incident and launched legal proceedings against them.
Saudi court awards jail to six Pakistanis for sloganeering at Masjid-e-Nabwi