COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — In a historic move under the Prisoner Exchange Act, 56 Pakistani inmates who were serving prison sentences in Sri Lanka have been repatriated to Pakistan.
The Prisons Department stated that this group, convicted mainly for drug-related offenses, included five women and 51 men. They were flown back to Pakistan on a special flight arranged by the Pakistani government today (6th).
Jail Commissioner Gamini B. Dissanayake noted that this is the largest exchange of prisoners in Sri Lanka’s history. The program was coordinated by the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defense, the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority, and the Pakistan Embassy.
These prisoners will continue to serve the remainder of their sentences in Pakistani prisons.