Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: As many as 300 stranded Pakistani workers sacked by some construction companies in Saudi Arabia and were suffering from financial problems and distress reached here at Benazir International Airport Rawalpindi, on Friday, from Riyadh and Dammam.

The labourers coming back from Saudi Arabia is a part of an ongoing process of workers returning home after not receiving their dues.

According to reports the stranded Pakistani workers reached the Benazir International Airport Rawalpindi through a private flight NL-714 and Saudi Airline flight 724.

After completion of three hours legal proceedings these workers were allowed to leave for their homes.

Relatives of these Pakistanis were present at the airport. They warmly welcomed them. Workers told the media that after the completion of the period of contract of Bin Ladin and the closure of some companies due to financial deficit hundreds of affected Pakistanis of these companies were leading a vulnerable life in containers and camps established there for the last one year.

“The government of Saudi Arabia had cancelled the contract of Bin Laden Construction Company after the stampede of Hajj due to which dues of hundreds of Pakistanis working in this construction company in different sections were blocked”, they added and maintained that some companies had terminated Pakistanis staff and stopped their payments while showing a financial deficit.

They further said that some employers of the companies had also confiscated the passports, documents and even the dues of their employees.

It is worth mentioning here that it all began about eight months ago when one after the other groups such as the Saad Trading and Contracting Companies, the Saudi Oger Limited and the Bin Laden Group declared bankruptcy after reportedly facing a “financial crunch”.

For about 12,000 Pakistanis working in different capacities for the companies operating from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Ta’if, the domino effect was sudden and unexpected.

The labourers were living in lamentable conditions in 19 camps set up by the companies in the four cities.