Pak citizen detained in Guantanamo Bay returns home: FO

Islamabad: Saif Ullah Paracha, a Pakistani national, who had been detained in Guantanamo Bay,  arrived home on Saturday after his release, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs completed an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate the repatriation of Paracha. 

“We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the spokesperson said in a press release.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also shared the news on Twitter. 

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

Saif Ullah Paracha, a businessman by profession, was detained in Bangkok in July 2003 and taken to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2004.

The 74-year-old was accused of having alleged links with top Al-Qaeda leadership. Paracha, however, denied any involvement in terrorism.

Known for being the oldest detainee at the US-run Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Paracha's arrival comes after President Joe Biden approved his release in 2021, along with that of another Pakistani national Abdul Rabbani and Yemen native Uthman Abdul al-Rahim Uthman.