Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly on Wednesday said the government as well as Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh could not take up seriously the issue of stranded Pakistanis in the kingdom with the Saudi Arabian authorities. As a result, they said, thousands of families were living in pain across Pakistan.

Several Pakistani expatriates in Saudi Arabia were facing tough time – their passports have been seized, they are not being issued resident permits, they are being paid low wages compared to what they were promised, they are living in jails in miserable conditions. At the last session, the National Assembly was informed that no Pakistani was facing low wages issue, but the government acknowledged the issue after media reports highlighted it, said Murad Saeed, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Why did the Government of Pakistan not sign an agreement with the Saudi Government, like the Indian Government did, to protect the rights of Pakistanis working in the kingdom? Saeed asked. He said that several Pakistanis could not even return to Pakistan due to incomplete documents and apathy of the government.

The issue was raised during a discussion on a Calling Attention Notice. The mover of the notice, Sajid Nawaz, said that poor people would sell their properties and other valuables in the hope that they would get better opportunities abroad, but unfortunately they were living in miserable conditions in Saudi Arabia. He said the Pakistan Embassy in Saudi Arabia did not provide any assistance to Pakistani workers in the kingdom. He said that expatriates would wait outside the embassy in long queues for resolution of their minor issues.

PTI legislator Amirullah Marwat called into question Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s good relations with Saudi rulers and his failure to take up Pakistani workers’ issues with them. “If we can take benefits for ourselves, why not for the poor workers?” he asked. PPP lawmaker Shagufta Jamani said that Pakistan had a big embassy in Saudi Arabia, but it completely failed to solve workers’ problems.

Minister of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt-Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch told the National Assembly that the government was using all its resources to help more than 8,000 Pakistani workers stranded in Saudi Arabia. Responding on behalf of Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Baloch said the government had serious concerns and the issue was being raised at the highest level. He said that around 8,000 Pakistanis were working in the Oger Company of Saudi Arabia and the general manager of the company had said that the company was trying to resolve workers’ issues. He said the company would provide air tickets or renew contracts of the workers. He said the prime minister had directed the officials concerned to help the expatriate Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia. He said that Foreign Office and the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh were trying to resolve the issue. He said that around 2.1 million Pakistanis were working in Saudi Arabia. He said that one-fourth of Pakistan’s total 7.5 million expatriates were working in Saudi Arabia. He said that expatriate Pakistanis were not only supporting their families, but also sending remittances to the country and playing a great role in strengthening the national economy.

Meanwhile, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmed informed the House that a debate on the presidential address to the joint session of the parliament would start on August 8.

The House adopted a motion saying that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2016, which has already been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting Senate’s approval, be referred to the joint session of the parliament for approval. The motion was moved by State Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar in the House under sub-rule (7) of Rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.

Moreover, three periodical reports of the standing committees on railways, science and technology and overseas Pakistanis and human resources for the period of July-December 2015 were presented in the House.

Earlier, during the Question Hour, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said that Pakistan’s trade share in the global market increased by 5.48 percent during the last five years. He said that Pakistan’s export share in the global market in 2015 increased by 3.50 percent as compared to 2014. He expressed the hope that country’s trade share in the global market would increase further due to the upcoming economic activities under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), regional trade arrangements and Strategic Trade Police Framework (STPF).

Baloch informed the House that Pakistan was making extensive diplomatic efforts to win support within the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for membership. During the Question Hour, the minister said the prime minister had sent letters to his counterparts in the countries, which were members of the gorup. Similarly, he said, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi made phone calls to their counterparts in the countries, which were members of the NSG and favoured a non-discriminatory and merit-based approach for NSG membership.

Baloch said that Pakistan’s strong multi-pronged lobbying efforts had started yielding results and its argument about a merit-based approach and negative impact of any India specific move on the strategic stability in South Asia and future of non-proliferation regime had been acknowlegded by several NSG member countries. He said the US was giving importance to India to counter China. However, he said, the US had assured Islamabad that it was not doing so at the cost of Pakistan.

Replying to a question, the minister said the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in Turkey at present was 37 and they had been facing charges like drug trafficking, robbery and forgery.

Moved by the minister of state for national health services, regulations and coordination, the House adopted a motion to refer the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2016, as passed by the National Assembly, to the joint session of the parliament. Moved by the minister for inter-provincial coordination, the House adopted a resolution to extend the State Life Insurance Corporation (Reorganisation and Conversion) Ordinance, 2016 for 120 days with effect from August 6, 2016. The House passed the Banks (Nationalisation) (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Deposit Protection Corporation Bill, 2016, as passed by the Senate with amendments. The Limited Liability Partnership Bill, 2016 was also introduced in the National Assembly on Wednesday. The bills were passed by majority vote.

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Pir Syed Sardaruddin Shah Rashidi told the National Assembly that Pakistan received remittances amounting to $12.7 billion from overseas Pakistanis living in the Gulf countries.