Following his release from the US military prison after more than 18 years, Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistani prisoner held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, arrived in Pakistan on Saturday, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO).
The 75-year-old man was the oldest prisoner in Guantanamo Bay and was detained on suspicion of having connections to Al Qaeda but was never officially charged with a crime. After being held at the US base in Cuba for more than 16 years, his release was authorized in May of last year.
“To enable Paracha’s return, the foreign ministry completed a lengthy interagency process.
The FO statement read, “We are delighted that a Pakistani citizen arrested abroad is finally reunited with his family.
Separately, Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s foreign minister, tweeted about his release.
Paracha was a successful businessman in Pakistan who resided in the US and had real estate in New York City.
Paracha was taken prisoner by the US in Thailand in 2003, and he has been held there till September 2004.
Authorities claimed he assisted two of the September 11 plotters with a financial transaction as an Al Qaeda “facilitator” for the organisation. However, despite having a number of illnesses, such as diabetes and a heart disease, Paracha has denied any involvement in terrorism, claiming he was unaware the persons he was interacting with were members of Al-Qaeda.
However, the US has long claimed that under international laws of war, it is permitted to detain people without trial for an endless period of time.
Months before his father’s arrest, Paracha’s son was also detained on suspicion of assisting suspected terrorists in entering the US using falsified passports.
The federal court in New York condemned him to 30 years in prison in 2005; however, a judge invalidated witness testimony in March 2020.
After the US government decided not to seek a new trial in 2021, Uzair Paracha, a graduate of Pakistan’s elite Institute of Business Administration, was transferred back to Pakistan.
