Mohammad Naeem, who has been incarcerated for 12 years in prison was released on humanitarian grounds and is returning home, said Pakistan Consul General Aftab Khokhar. Naeem, 50, was in prison for the last 12 years following a murder conviction. The court convinced the victim's family to accept the blood money of SR 110,000 and pardon him, but Naeem's family did not have the ability to raise the money.
A top judge at the Jeddah Summary Court paved the way for the release on humanitarian grounds. Bureaucratic wrangles have delayed the release as his papers remained in the prison. Prison officials were waiting for Naeem's deportation papers.
"Consulate doesn't have any idea about him and any record that he is in jail," Khokhar said. "As soon as we came to know about him through Daily Arab News, we proceeded with the matter, met him in jail and completed all the paperwork, which was required."
Khokhar also said that the consulate always attempts to help Pakistan nationals in such cases. "Whatever comes to our notice we always try to solve the problems of our nationals and proceed according to the law of Saudi Arabia," Khokhar said. "We are very pleased that we succeeded in getting all the matters to be done properly and Naeem going back home."
It usually takes few days to release a pardoned inmate, but it often takes longer to release non-Saudis until deportation papers are finalised. Shaikh Ibrahim Al-Salama, president of Jeddah Summary Court, helped raise SR 110,000 in blood money through philanthropists with intent to get Naeem pardoned. The pardon was approved after the total sum was raised.
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