President Mamnoon Hussain has raised the issue of Pakistani prisoner Zulfiqar Ali, who is languishing in Indonesian jail, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. President Mamnoon raised this issue at a meeting with Indonesian President Widodo here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday night. President Mamnoon asked the guest to consider the matter with sympathy on which the Indonesian President said it was a legal matter. However, he said that the issue will be dealt with sympathy while respecting President Mamnoon's will.
A father of five from Mughalpura area of Lahore, 53-year-old Ali has been languishing in an Indonesian prison for almost 14 years. He was arrested in 2004, charged with possession of 300 grams of heroin, and sentenced to death. His lawyers say he is innocent and have alleged serious violations of due process at every stage of the trial and appeal process. "After being detained for nearly 14 years for a wrongful conviction, Zulfiqar may die in prison while waiting to be executed," said the Justice Project Pakistan, a human rights organization providing legal counsel for vulnerable Pakistani prisoners. Doctors have estimated Ali's life expectancy to be three months.