DUBAI// A prisoner exchange agreement between the UAE and Pakistan is still awaiting final approval before it can be completed.
Once approved, more than 2,000 Pakistanis currently serving sentences in the UAE for minor offences will be eligible to complete their terms in their home country.
"The Transfer of Sentenced Persons was signed in Abu Dhabi on February 26, 2012," said an official at the Pakistan embassy in the capital.
"However, the agreement would become operative once the ratification process on the UAE side is completed, which is expected soon."
Last month Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, Jamil Ahmed Khan, said he was hopeful the deal could be finalised by the end of the year.
"This is a very sensitive matter between the two countries and I think they want to make sure everything is done according to the law and there are no loopholes," said Mobisher Rabbani, editor for Quiet Diplomacy, a monthly magazine that deals with diplomatic and International Affairs.
"This agreement doesn't just involve the Foreign Ministry but also includes judicial aspects and the Ministry of Interior so it is a complex agreement between the two countries.
"It's a case where both countries need to be satisfied with the agreement and I think they are just checking to make sure that is the case."
Once the treaty is signed the prisoners would be immediately transferred back to Pakistan.
"The Pakistan government has already ratified the agreement and so we are waiting for the UAE to follow suit," said Mr Khan.
"The reason it has taken so long is that each individual emirate must agree to it before it can be approved."
In total about 1,336 Pakistanis are in jail in Abu Dhabi and about 864 in Dubai.
The agreement does not apply to people convicted of money laundering, drug trafficking or murder.
Talks between the UAE and Pakistan have been ongoing since 2010.
nhanif@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
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Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
