Sharjah Ruler Meets Kerala Chief Minister, Declares 149 Indian Prisoners Free

After meeting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on September 26, the Emirate of Sharjah ruler Sultan Bin Muhammed Al-Qasimi declared that prisoners of all nationalities — including 149 Indians — who have completed three years in Sharjah jails for minor financial offences would be released.

The amnesty announcement by the Sharjah ruler — who reached Kerala on September 24 for a five-day visit — comes after the intervention of Pinarayi Vijayan, who sought the release of Keralites in jail in Sharjah.

According to a joint statement issued by the Sharjah and Kerala governments on September 26, prisoners involved in financial irregularities of up to 2 crore UAE Dirhams (equivalent to Rs 35.58 crore) and other petty offences would be set free without any conditions.

Meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj, the Union Minister of External Affairs, took to Twitter to express gratitude to Al-Qasimi — but she made no mention of the effort of the Kerala government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to secure the release. 

“HH the Emir of Sharjah has been pleased to grant pardon to 149 Indian prisoners accused of minor offenses,” Swaraj tweeted.

However, the twitterati lashed out at Swaraj for trying to grab credit for the release of 149 Indian prisoners.

One Twitter user posted: “@SushmaSwaraj madam Com: @vijayanpinarayi the @CMOKerala posted this decision 8 hours back in his FB. HOW COME YOUR TWEET SO LATE.”

Another user brought up Narendra Modi’s frequent foreign tours in the name of diplomacy: “While Selfie Uncle roams around the world in fancy clothes, @CMOKerala gets things done from #Kerala #KeralaLeads.”

The Emir of Sharjah was also honoured with an honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of Calicut at a special convocation ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram.

During the ceremony, Al-Qasimi said the freed prisoners would be rehabilitated in Sharjah itself with good jobs and need not return to their homes.

The Sharjah ruler has promised an institution of higher learning for Arabic studies and research in Kerala too. Besides, skill development centres to train those seeking jobs in the Gulf region would also be set up.

“This was announced by Al-Qasimi during his one-to-one meeting with Vijayan”, the joint statement said.

The statement added that Sharjah accepted in principle the state's proposal for giving international driving licences to those seeking jobs in the Emirate.

To implement the projects agreed upon by Kerala and Sharjah, a joint committee will be set up, which will include the top officials from both states.

The Kerala government has offered land for the construction of a permanent building for the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Sharjah Family City project, a cultural centre and an International Education Complex to be established by Kerala in Sharjah are under the active consideration of the Sharjah government, the release said.

Al-Qasimi also spoke of the mutually beneficial interactions of people of Sharjah and Kerala over the years.

“Our interactions have steadily intensified over the last six decades and the resulting mutually beneficial contribution of entrepreneurs, the professionals and tradesmen from Kerala is evident in Sharjah and Kerala,” he said.

Al-Qasimi also met the council of ministers and discussed several issues pertaining to Kerala and Sharjah. He also promised that he would return within a year to celebrate the fulfilment of the promises made.