Pakistan informed this Saturday of the release and arrival in Islamabad of a Pakistani citizen detained by the United States at the naval base of Guantanamoin Cuba, of the prisoner who with 75 years he is the oldest held in the much-discussed “war on terror” jail.
“Saif Ullah Paracha, a Pakistani citizen, detained at Guantanamo Bay, was released and arrived in his homeland on Saturday, October 29, 2022,” the Pakistani government said in a brief statement.
According to the letter, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry completed “an extensive inter-institutional process to facilitate the repatriation of Paracha.”
“We are pleased that a Pakistani national detained abroad is finally reunited with his family”he added.
The man, who remained in custody for nearly 20 years without a formal charge being filed, was “the oldest inmate” at the US detention center, Pakistani and US media reported.
Paracha, was a businessman residing in the United Stateswith thriving businesses and wealth in Pakistan when he was arrested in Thailand in 2003.
The US authorities alleged that Paracha was a “facilitator” of Al Qaeda who helped two of the conspirators in the plot of the September 11 with a financial transaction, an accusation that the Pakistani citizen has denied.
Paracha was detained for more than a year at the US base at Bagram in Afghanistan, and then transferred by the United States to Guantánamo.
The arrest of the businessman was full of additional procedures and transfers due to health conditions and his deterioration in prison due to his age, which involved sending specialists for their medical care.
The US government of President Joe Biden had authorized in May 2021 the transfer of Paracha and two other prisoners out of Guantanamo.