Riyadh visit: Pakistani MPs get Saudi assurance on illegal workers

Saudi delegation assures speaker of their complete support in amicably resolving the matter.

Illegal migrants wait with their belongings under police watch to be transferred by police buses on November 13, 2013 to a center in the capital Riyadh ahead of their deportation. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:


A parliamentary delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq returned from Saudi Arabia on Sunday after making a major headway in improving bilateral relations between the two countries.


The delegation comprising 10 members of the National Assembly representing all the political parties in the House, and belonging to all four provinces and Fata, visited Saudi Arabia.


The most prominent outcome of the visit was the Saudi assurance to deal sympathetically with the issue of non-registered labour from Pakistan, which risks deportation on charges of illegal entry into the kingdom.

With a sizeable number of over 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates generating over 30% of the total remittances, amounting $4.1 billion, such a step would have affected the country’s economy.

The Saudi delegation assured the speaker of their complete support in amicably resolving the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2013.
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