Sri Lanka Executes Largest-Ever Prisoner Transfer to Pakistan

COLOMBO (News 1st); In accordance with the Prisoners Exchange Agreement No. 05 of 1995, 56 Pakistani nationals serving sentences in Sri Lanka for drug-related offenses were transferred to Pakistan on October 6, 2024.

The transfer was facilitated by a Pakistan International Airlines flight, numbered A320, which departed from Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. 

The flight carried 51 male and 5 female prisoners, under the supervision of 64 Pakistani diplomatic officials. These prisoners will continue to serve their sentences in Pakistani prisons.

A team of 47 officers from the Prisons Department and the Emergency Response Tactical Force ensured the secure transfer of the prisoners from Welikada Prison to the airport.

The operation was coordinated with the involvement of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, and the Pakistani High Commission.

This marks the largest transfer of prisoners in the history of the Sri Lankan Prisons Department.