Pakistani man 'missing' in Bahrain serving prison sentence, reveals Interior Ministry

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Capital Governorate Police Directorate has revealed that the Pakistani expatriate who has allegedly been ‘missing’ for more than 40 days is serving time in jail.

Muhammad Shahbaz, 41, was arrested in a robbery and damage case on November 24 in Salmaniya.

He was sentenced to three months in jail followed by deportation.

A lawyer was hired to defend him in court.

The General Directorate of Reformation and Rehabilitation said that Shahbaz enjoys his full rights and gets all services stated in the Reformation and Rehabilitation Law and its rules.

The Daily Tribune was made aware of the case when contacted by Shahbaz’s family in Pakistan who was inquiring about his whereabouts after losing contact with him.

Unaware of the actual situation, the family sought help from Bahrain authorities and the public to find Shahbaz who came to Bahrain nearly six months ago and was regularly in touch with family members.

However, according to his brother Muhammad Sajjad, suddenly the phone calls stopped and there was no way to contact him.

A friend of Shahbaz, also a Pakistani national, said that he has informed the sponsor, who has agreed to file a police complaint.

The Pakistan Embassy too promised absolute support to the family of Shahbaz in their attempts to locate him.

The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) profile of Shahbaz shows that his residency permit in the Kingdom has expired.