Risky business: The oasis with no terms of employment
Ahmed waited and waited for his work permit till his sponsor said no.
In the struggle to stop the 22-year-old from killing himself, the trigger was pulled and a bullet hit him.. PHOTO: FILE
SHABQADAR:
Last Friday, Ahmed Khan* came home after offering his zuhr prayers and took out a sarpokh, a vintage Mauser K98K, and loaded it with five rounds of bullets.
His mother knew something was up and tried to intervene. They got into a fight. In the struggle to stop the 22-year-old from killing himself, the trigger was pulled and a bullet hit him.
Friends and family were shocked but not surprised as Ahmed had not been himself for a while. According to Ahmed’s cousin Noman*, it all started when he returned home to the village of Khwaja after spending eight months in Saudi Arabia.
After Ahmed finished his secondary education he was sent to work as a labourer in Saudi Arabia. The visa and other expenses cost him a total of Rs0.6 million.
Ahmed’s high school teacher, Rehman Khan* said the boy was a good student and graduated in first division from school and Peshawar board exams.
His sponsor, an Arab, had promised to provide him with the required work permit in three months, which is part of standard procedure. Three months stretched to eight and Ahmed’s working conditions kept going from bad to worse. The treatment was harsh and there was not enough money. Eventually, he was unemployed.
In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed was in touch with Daud Khan*, a man from his village who had been working in the country for more than 30 years.
“He spent eight months in different places, doing different or no work and kept talking about the money his father has spent on his visa,” said Daud. “As the eldest son, Ahmed wanted to make money for his younger siblings, but when he saw that nothing was happening he started to lose it. Once he jumped out of a moving vehicle.” Daud added after that incident he had to speak with Ahmed’s father to decide if the boy had to be brought back or not.
The situation became more complicated when it was time for him to leave the country. Daud claims that it was already tricky since he did not have a work permit and then the sponsor started asking for money to let him exit the country.
Ahmed’s uncle, Rehan Gul*, who deals in spare parts, said that his brother had asked for Rs0.6 million for his son’s visa and while he had wanted the money back, after he heard of Ahmed’s state of mind he decided against it.
“I was upset and told Ahmed not to worry about the money,” he said. “I told him his health was more important but I suppose he was always sensitive.” He added that Ahmed’s parents have not been able to recover from the death of their eldest son.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Gul said there was no one they could lodge an FIR against. He begged the government to talk to Saudi Arabia and do something about Pukhtun and labour rights.
The government responds
According to Amir Muqam, the special advisor to the prime minister on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he was aware of the incident and had met with the Saudi ambassador last week to discuss the situation. He said that the ambassador had assured him that the government will try to come up with a solution soon and cooperate with Pakistan. However, he did add that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi has its own laws which must be obeyed.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2014.
Last Friday, Ahmed Khan* came home after offering his zuhr prayers and took out a sarpokh, a vintage Mauser K98K, and loaded it with five rounds of bullets.
His mother knew something was up and tried to intervene. They got into a fight. In the struggle to stop the 22-year-old from killing himself, the trigger was pulled and a bullet hit him.
Friends and family were shocked but not surprised as Ahmed had not been himself for a while. According to Ahmed’s cousin Noman*, it all started when he returned home to the village of Khwaja after spending eight months in Saudi Arabia.
After Ahmed finished his secondary education he was sent to work as a labourer in Saudi Arabia. The visa and other expenses cost him a total of Rs0.6 million.
Ahmed’s high school teacher, Rehman Khan* said the boy was a good student and graduated in first division from school and Peshawar board exams.
His sponsor, an Arab, had promised to provide him with the required work permit in three months, which is part of standard procedure. Three months stretched to eight and Ahmed’s working conditions kept going from bad to worse. The treatment was harsh and there was not enough money. Eventually, he was unemployed.
In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed was in touch with Daud Khan*, a man from his village who had been working in the country for more than 30 years.
“He spent eight months in different places, doing different or no work and kept talking about the money his father has spent on his visa,” said Daud. “As the eldest son, Ahmed wanted to make money for his younger siblings, but when he saw that nothing was happening he started to lose it. Once he jumped out of a moving vehicle.” Daud added after that incident he had to speak with Ahmed’s father to decide if the boy had to be brought back or not.
The situation became more complicated when it was time for him to leave the country. Daud claims that it was already tricky since he did not have a work permit and then the sponsor started asking for money to let him exit the country.
Ahmed’s uncle, Rehan Gul*, who deals in spare parts, said that his brother had asked for Rs0.6 million for his son’s visa and while he had wanted the money back, after he heard of Ahmed’s state of mind he decided against it.
“I was upset and told Ahmed not to worry about the money,” he said. “I told him his health was more important but I suppose he was always sensitive.” He added that Ahmed’s parents have not been able to recover from the death of their eldest son.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Gul said there was no one they could lodge an FIR against. He begged the government to talk to Saudi Arabia and do something about Pukhtun and labour rights.
The government responds
According to Amir Muqam, the special advisor to the prime minister on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he was aware of the incident and had met with the Saudi ambassador last week to discuss the situation. He said that the ambassador had assured him that the government will try to come up with a solution soon and cooperate with Pakistan. However, he did add that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi has its own laws which must be obeyed.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2014.