--- title: "Over 21,000 Pakistanis in prisons across 72 countries, National Assembly told" description: "Most outlets reported the figure of over 21,000 Pakistanis in foreign prisons and attributed the data to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' written response to the National Assembly. Daily Times specifically named Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as the source and mentioned the context of Question Hour, while the others did not. All excerpts presented the information in a neutral, factual manner without additional commentary or framing." url: https://harzaviya.com/stories/15302-over-21-600-pakistanis-imprisoned-in-72-countries site: HarZaviya language: en --- # Over 21,000 Pakistanis in prisons across 72 countries, National Assembly told pakistan · updated 20 Oct 2026, 5:00 PM PKT · 19–20 Oct 2026 · 4 articles from 4 outlets over 2 developments **HarZaviya summary** — how 4 outlets covered this, generated automatically from their headlines and excerpts: > Most outlets reported the figure of over 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries, citing a written response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the National Assembly. ARY News and Daily Times both highlighted the number and the source of the information, with Daily Times additionally naming Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as the one who shared the figures during Question Hour. ## How it developed Newest development first. Each carries its own coverage and, where we have one, our summary of it. ### 20 Oct 2026 — More than 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries, NA told (1 outlet) - **Minute Mirror** — [More than 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries, NA told](https://minutemirror.com.pk/more-than-21000-pakistanis-imprisoned-in-72-countries-na-told-648081/) · 20 Oct 2026, 5:00 PM PKT > More than 21,000 Pakistani nationals are currently imprisoned in 72 countries around the world, the National Assembly was informed in a written response by ### 19 Oct 2026 — Over 21,000 Pakistanis in prisons across 72 countries, National Assembly told (3 outlets) > Most outlets reported the figure of over 21,000 Pakistanis in foreign prisons and attributed the data to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' written response to the National Assembly. Daily Times specifically named Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as the source and mentioned the context of Question Hour, while the others did not. All excerpts presented the information in a neutral, factual manner without additional commentary or framing. - **ProPakistani** — [More Than 21,000 Pakistanis Are in Jails Across 72 Countries](https://propakistani.pk/2026/10/20/more-than-21000-pakistanis-are-in-jails-across-72-countries/) · 20 Oct 2026, 10:32 AM PKT > A total of 21,647 Pakistani citizens are in prisons across 72 countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the National… Read More - **Daily Times** — [Over 21,600 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries](https://dailytimes.com.pk/1569447/over-21600-pakistanis-imprisoned-in-72-countries/) · 19 Oct 2026, 9:22 PM PKT · 88% identical wording to the newest filing > More than 21,600 Pakistani citizens are imprisoned in 72 countries, the National Assembly was informed on Monday. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar shared the figures in a written response during Question Hour. According to the Foreign Ministry, a total of 21,647 Pakistanis are currently held in prisons abroad. The figures were submitted in response to a […] - **ARY News (English)** — [Over 21,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in 72 countries, NA told](https://arynews.tv/over-21000-pakistanis-imprisoned-in-72-countries-na-told) · 19 Oct 2026, 8:11 PM PKT · 89% identical wording to the newest filing > A total of 21,647 Pakistanis are imprisoned in 72 countries around the world, according to a written reply submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the National Assembly. ## Part of a bigger story Other stories whose coverage resembles this one, nearest first. "% related" compares whole stories, not single articles — see [what the percentages mean](https://harzaviya.com/methodology). - [Pakistan’s prison population reaches 110,513 with most awaiting trial](https://harzaviya.com/stories/13196-prison-population-climbs-to-110-513-as-three-fourths) · 9 Oct 2026 · 2 outlets · 70% related - [Over 21,000 Pakistanis deported from Gulf countries since March 2026](https://harzaviya.com/stories/4117-over-21-000-pakistanis-deported-from-gulf-countries) · 21 Aug 2026 · 4 outlets · 70% related 4 articles from 4 outlets, 19–20 Oct 2026. Headlines and links belong to their outlets — HarZaviya links out and never copies article text. --- HarZaviya compares how Pakistani outlets cover the same story. It stores and shows each outlet's headline and a short excerpt, and links out — it never copies article text, and every headline belongs to the outlet that wrote it. It takes no stance on any outlet. 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