All Resources Being Used To Help 8,000 Stranded Workers In

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd August, 2016) : Minister for States and Frontiers Regions (SAFRON) Lt.Gen.(Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch on Wednesday assured the National Assembly that the Government was utilizing allout its resources to help over 8,000 Pakistani workers stranded in Saudi Arabia. He was responding to a calling attention notice moved by Mir Aamir Ali Khan Magsi, Murad Saeed and others about Pakistani expatriates stranded in Saudi Arabia whom neither salaries have been paid for the last several months nor their work permits have been renewed by the companies and failure of diplomatic mission there to take up the issue with their companies causing grave concern amongst the public. The Minister while responding on behalf of Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs said the government had serious concern and the issue was being raised at the highest level. He said around 8,000 Pakistani were working in Oger Company of Saudi Arabia and General Manager of the company had assured that they were trying to resolve the issue, adding that they company would also provide air tickets and renewed their contracts (Ikamas).

He said the Prime Minister had also directed the officials concerned to help the expatriate Pakistani in Saudi Arabia while the Foreign Office and our embassy in Riyadh were also engage to resolve the issue. He said around 2.1 million Pakistani were working in Saudi Arabia which was one fourth of Pakistan's 7.5 million total overseas manpower in the world. "He said the expatriate Pakistanis are not only supporting their families but also send remittances to the country and had a great role in strengthening of our economy," he added. Murad Saeed and Amir Ullah Marwat of PTI were critical of Foreign Office and Pakistan embassy in Saudi Arabia for not tackling the issue timely and propertly. The Minister said strict action would be taken against all those officials who were found involve in not resolving issues of these expatriate workers.