Mother of cancer-suffering Pakistani death row prisoner in Indonesia appeals for release

KARACHI: Mother of Zulfiqar Ali, a Pakistani prisoner on death row in Indonesia, has made a plea for her son's release as he has been diagnosed with stage-4 liver cancer.

“Even the doctors have told him that he doesn’t have much time,” said the mother while speaking on Geo News show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath. 

An enquiry from the Indonesian government has found Ali to be innocent, said Sarah Belal, director for Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), which is a human rights organisation that provides free of charge legal counselling for "vulnerable Pakistani prisoners" in overseas jails. 

As per a press release issued by JPP, doctors have estimated Ali's life expectancy to be three months.

“His attending physician confirmed last month that Zulfiqar has been suffering from liver cancer in both lobes of the liver. He is also suffering from chronic liver cirrhosis and Diabetes Mellitus. After being detained for nearly 14 years for a wrongful conviction, Zulfiqar may die in prison while waiting to be executed,” said the press release.

“Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be addressing the Pakistani parliament during his state visit scheduled for 26 January 2018. It is imperative that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi raise Zulfiqar’s case with him. The government of Pakistan must urge President Widodo to pardon Zulfiqar in light of his terminal illness and the suffering he has already undergone as a result of his wrongful imprisonment,” it read.

A father of five from Mughalpura area of Lahore, 53-year-old Ali was arrested in Indonesia on drug-related charges in 2004. His case surfaced in 2016, when Indonesia informed Pakistani embassy in Jakarta that Ali would be soon executed over possession of 300 grammes of heroin.

His execution was halted after rights groups and United Nations appealed to the Indonesian government and Pakistani diplomatic authorities also intervened.

Rights groups including Amnesty International have expressed serious concerns about Ali's conviction, alleging it arose out of beatings and torture and he did not have a fair trial.

"During his trial he described this torture, but the judges allowed the 'confession' to be admitted as evidence. There has been no independent investigation into his allegations," Amnesty had said.