Pakistani workforce in Middle East facing the worst despite giving the best

About 54.81% of total nine million Pakistanis work in those two regions and have sent back around $19.9bln since 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis living in the Gulf states, especially in Saudi Arabia, send more than half of the total remittances (52%) that the country receives annually, yet they are also subjected to the worst form of treatment.

About 54.81% of the total nine million Pakistanis work in those two regions and have sent back around $19.9 billion since 2011.



However, the money and figures do not matter to any of the governments involved on either side the sea, as the ultimate casualty are Pakistani workers who are meted out a treatment that is painful to narrate.

They encounter problems including non-payment of salaries, expiry of visas and non-renewal of identity card/residence permit for expatriates and exploitation at the hands of employers/contractors.

According to Jamaat-i-Islami MNA from Swat Aisha Sayed, there are hundreds of such workers who are in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and facing worst form of treatment inside and outside jails and held up for committing petty crimes.

“Relatives of those working abroad tell me tales of horror and pain the workers have been facing at the hands of kafeels, supervisors,” she said, adding that there are many whose whereabouts are unknown.





“The mistreatment and exploitation starts right from the airport and I know many of the workers who are still in jails of Saudi Arabia despite completing their terms and nobody knows why they are still there,” lamented Sayed.

Official documents of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis state that currently there are about 1,834 Pakistanis detained in various jails of Saudi Arabia. Of them, 45% convicts have been charged with drugs-related issues followed by theft (15%); forgery (12%), immoral crimes (8%), murder (3%), brawl/fighting (2%) while 15% are held for committing minor crimes.

Of the $19.9 billion remittances received since 2011, $6 billion (30% of the total) were sent from Saudi Arabia while about $4.3 billion (22%) from the United Arab Emirates.

The Pakistani government has sent community welfare attaches in areas where the majority of Pakistanis are workings, but the majority of countrymen have been complaining about insufficient and disoriented efforts from the government.

“I work in the kingdom since 2001, and am living like a prisoner, as I bought my (independent) visa for about 0.4 million rupees and am being blackmailed by my kafeel who is not letting me go for a respectful earning, nor giving me wages which I deserve,” said Basit Ali, who hails from Rawalpindi and works in Saudi Arabia as a structural engineer. He said every time he contacted the embassy staff or the attaches he would be told to wait.

Role in crisis

The recent crisis in Saudi Arabia has also exposed the flawed working of the Foreign Office and the overseas ministry to resolve the issue. The crisis of workers took a new turn when Saudi authorities started slashing spending and delayed payments to contractors to cope with a plunge in oil prices. This ultimately impacted Pakistani workers in different companies. This and many such crises are not new for Pakistani workers many of whom were left unpaid for months.



Parliamentary bodies have also time and again blamed the Foreign Office and the ministry for ill-planning and mishandling the whole issue. On the other hand, despite several requests from the government, the UAE authorities have refused to share information about Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their punishments but were still in jails.

According to the Foreign Office documents, “Judicial system of the UAE is cumbersome and lengthy which results in increase in difficulties for Pakistanis,” adding, “The majority of workers come to the UAE on direct employment visas without any contract with employer(s) and hence create problems for both parties later.”

Kashif from Dubai told The Express Tribune that social media pages of other countries stay connected with their countrymen and update them about any new developments. “Our Foreign Office or embassy officials are always reticent to share or reply to any queries.”

Khayam Akhtar is the Director General Personnel at the Foreign Office and keenly watches issues related to Pakistanis. He said those arrested are not just because of minor mistakes, but many are arrested due to fake passports, visas or reach the area without work permit(s).

He also stated that there was no such thing as independent visa, otherwise known as ‘azaad’ visa. “The majority of Pakistanis are duped by agents and employers into getting the so-called independent visa and their troubles start from the moment they land at the airport,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.