New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, in response to an unstarred question raised in the Rajya Sabha, said a total of 7,139 Indian citizens are held in jails in various foreign countries.
The embassies in those countries are providing necessary legal assistance to them, he added.
BJP's Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, Kirori Lal Meena, had raised the question on Indian citizens held in jails in Pakistan, Gulf countries and other countries and about the kind of assistance being provided to them by the Central government.
Muraleedharan said that as of December 31, 2020, the number of Indian prisoners living in foreign jails is 7,139. The maximum number, 1,599, are in Saudi Arabia. The US jails have 265 people, 898 are in the United Arab Emirates, 411 in Qatar, 886 in Nepal, 536 in Kuwait and 221 in Italy. There are 62 Indians serving jail terms in Pakistan.
Muraleedharan said that apart from legal aid, the government also tries to get their sentences reduced.