The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday that the government was negotiating a prisoner exchange agreement with China, which would allow the convicts to serve their sentences in Pakistan.
Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch told the House during question hour that a total of 260 Pakistanis are currently imprisoned in China. These include 193 who have been sentenced after conviction and 67 who are in detention centres, awaiting trial.
He said majority of the Pakistanis under arrest in China are charged with drug trafficking and other serious crimes. He said Pakistan Embassy in China seeks consular access from the Chinese authorities and oversees that the legal rights of the accused are granted.
The chair while taking notice of absence of some Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and senior bureaucrats during question hour, summoned secretaries of Ministries of Commerce, Textile and Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan to his chamber.
The chair also suspended proceedings of the House for 10 minutes and called Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Ahmad and Shah Mahmood Qureshi to his chamber for consultation on the issue.
After consultation, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that last opportunity has been given to the concerned quarters to take the question hour seriously and reply with their answers in time.
He said government officials not less than a joint secretary, and will take notes of the proceedings. He said it was decided that answers of the questions will be ensured.