The United Arab Emirates announced that 572 Pakistani prisoners have been released as part of a pardon from UAE President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the month of Ramazan, Gulf News quoted the Foreign Office as saying on Friday.

According to the news outlet, around 262 Pakistani prisoners will be released from the prisons of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain prison, 177 from Dubai, 52 from Sharjah, 16 from Fujairah and 65 from Ajman.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, in his weekly briefing, said that the Pakistani authorities were in touch with the UAE government to ensure that the process of repatriation is carried out smoothly.

“To expedite the release and deportation of prisoners, Pakistan is constantly in touch with the local authorities and is extending all necessary assistance, including the issuance of outpasses, passports and air tickets, where required,” he said.

According to Dr Faisal, the UAE president had ordered the release of 3,005 prisoners — who are languishing in different jails of the country — out of which 572 are Pakistani.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a statement, thanked the UAE and said that the country "values this gesture of the UAE government", Radio Pakistan reported.

Out of total 8.8 million overseas Pakistanis, 11,803 are languishing in foreign jails, according to data available with the foreign ministry. There are some 2,937 Pakistanis jailed in Saudi Arabia, 1,842 in Greece, 582 in India, 177 in Afghanistan, 242 in China, 188 in Iran, and 226 in Malaysia.