Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Standing Committee of Senate on Overseas Pakistani has shown deep resentment over the nonpayment of dues to stranded Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia and the failure to resolve their problems. The meeting of the committee was held at Parliament House under the chairman ship of its convener, Senator Baz Muhammad Khan. Along with the members of the committee, Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Khizar Hayat, Additional Secretary Foreign Office Tassawar Khan and Secretary KP Workers Welfare Board Alamgir Shah and other high concerned officials were present in the meeting.

The committee directed Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) to help out these Pakistanis with its funds. The committee has called the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in next committee’s meeting. The Chairman of the committee said that the troubles of tangled Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia are on rise day by day but it is strange that the Pakistani ambassador to KSA had no time to resolve their problems. The committee also objected the failure of the Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistani for not visiting Saudi Arabia.

Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Khizar Hayat briefed the meeting about the stranded Pakistanis in KSA. He said that the main reason of the crises being faced by Saudi Arabia is the fall of oil prices in international market. Due to the crises not only Pakistani labourers were affected, but also people from other countries. He said that the state of affairs could deteriorate even more if oil prices further be plunged in future.

The Additional Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the meeting that three companies of Saudi Arabia did not make payment to their staff for the last 8 or 9 months and there were some 10,395 Pakistanis who were affected by this situation. He said that as a matter of fact Saudi government did not pay its dues to these companies, which led to the crisis.

He said that the Pakistani embassy at Riyadh came to know about this in the month of February this year and at that time the ambassador not only contacted high officials of Saudi government but also saw the Pakistanis people at the camps, formed by different companies. “The crises was intensified when the companies that providing the food at these camps refused to serve there due to non payment of her dues,” the FO official said.

He said that on the instructions of Prime Minister a data is prepared for the distribution of Rs 50,000 each among 5000 tangled Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia, whereas after receiving the data of remaining Pakistanis , they would also be provided with the same amount.