Tanzanian ex-prisoners still stranded in Pakistan prisons

A senior Immigration officer in the country has said that, Tanzania government will aught to look for the possibility and if possible incur extra expense in order to repatriate its 35 citizens who have got stranded in two different prisons in Pakistan. It has been learn. The 35 people who were jailed in Pakistan and have finished their jail sentences but are still in custody waiting for repatriation, are subjected in torture in these prisons namely Lahore and Rawalpindi following refusal of the Pakistan government to deport them in the country. According to the officer, it’s the responsibility of the Pakistan’s government to repatriate them back home as in accordance to the common practice of the International laws which requires them to do so as the victims had committed mistakes within their country. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Wednesday this week at the Immigration Headquarter office in Dar es Salaam, Rashid Mageta of the Border Management and Control division said that since most relatives are faced with financial problems, the matter will entirely be left upon the government to help its people. He noted that, despite of hardships the government is working closely with some few relatives to process their travelling documentations and other arrangements which is being done in collaboration with the Pakistan Embassy. However, he noted that, in view of this, the government will use other possible ways and means in order to take them back home incase their relatives would fail to accomplish the task. The Ministry of Home Affairs in June this year asked relatives to identify their relatives ready for deportation but have experienced various hardships. Drug trafficking and illegal migrations are the two topmost crimes that the Tanzanians were jailed for. He also noted that, among the 35 Tanzanians only one person whom he named as Rashid Sambatoro a resident of Dar es Salaam region serves life imprisonment and was convicted after he was found guilty in possession of 14 kilograms of heroin. Others are Usman Mdoe (Tanga), Alamgiri Akbar (Dar es Salaam), Ashraf Zakhy (Tanga), Omary Suleiman (Ruvu), Hemed Himji (Dar es Salaam), Abubakar (Tanga), Mwinyi Mwinyigoha (Coast), Abdullah Rayngul (Lindi), Mbwana Mohammed Eka (Zanzibar), Mohammed Abdul (Tanga), Athumani Singano (Tanga), Jamal Jaffar (Dar es Salaam), Furahisha Seif (Dar es Salaam), Mohammed Mohammed (Tanga), Frank Kimweri (Dar es Salaam), Abubakar Ali (Zanzabar), Issa Twaha (Mwanza), Ali Kipuya (Dar es Salaam), Saidi Mohammed (Dar es Salaam), Rajab Simbaulaya (Dar es Salaam), Shafiq (Tanga), Rajabu Mlasagala (Dar es Salaam), Uluka Malipula (Morogoro), Juma Chonanga (Dar es Salaam), Hamisi Mangasha (Tanga), Seif Suleiman Seif (Zanzibar), Mohammed Juma (Pemba), Mansoor Kasamba (Dar es Salaam), Hassan Mohammed (Dar es Salaam), Ally Said (Tanga), Shaban Musa (Dar es Salaam), Bonane Dilunga (Dar es Salaam), Said Madelelia (Dar es Salaam), Mohamed Bushiri (Dar es Salaam) and Rashid Sambatoro (Dar es Salaam). According to him, most prisoners are mainly from Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Tanga. Juma Chonanga from Dar es Salaam is the eldest in the list. He travelled to Pakistan in 1991 and lived illegally until he was arrested in 2011 for drug trafficking. Others he noted left the country since 1982 by stowing away to various countries such as in Europe and elsewhere and involved in illegal drug business and finally arrested in Pakistan. Such people had difficulties to identify them as most of them had changed their names while in Diaspora.