Plea to MBS to help release Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia

PESHAWAR: Members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from Upper Dir have appealed to the visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to help release Pakistani expatriates imprisoned in Saudi Arabia on minor charges so that they could rejoin families.

In a letter to the Saudi Crown Prince, Jamaat-e-Islami’s lawmaker and former senior minister, Inayatullah Khan, and Pakistan People’s Party legislator, Sahibzada Sanaullah Khan, said that the majority of the families in the province make ends meet through the remittances sent by their loved ones, who have been doing hard labour in Saudi Arabia.

They said labourers belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who worked in Saudi Arabia have been facing hardships in recent years.

A good number of them have been imprisoned in the kingdom on trivial charges, while the remaining have been unable to earn a livelihood for families back home due to different service charges beyond their means.

The lawmakers appealed to the Saudi crown prince to take notice of the situation and help release the imprisoned Pakistani expatriates. They said that it would be a great kindness to the expatriates and their families. The MPAs asked the visiting dignitary to relax the service charges for the poor labourers and running small businesses in Saudi Arabia so that they could be able to take care of their families in Pakistan.

They said the majority of those imprisoned and other expatriates belonged to Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the two districts of Dir. The lawmakers added that the people of these areas were the direct and worst affectees of the war against terror. They said every family in Malakand division has been affected by the war and they needed to be supported.

The MPAs said the release of their dear and near ones in Saudi Arabia and providing relief to the remaining ones in services charges would be the most precious favour to them.

They said that Saudi Arabia has always helped Pakistan to overcome its economic problems. The current visit of the Crown Prince and the high-powered delegation in his entourage shows his genuine desire to promote bilateral ties between the two countries, they added.